A youth asylum in Iowa, pursued on abuse charges, including the rape of a teenager by a staff member, is closing, company officials announced on Friday.
A spokesperson for Sequel Youth & Family Services, which runs about 40 programs for vulnerable young people – including foster children and children with disabilities – did not explain why it was closing Clarinda Academy, its main program, and did not attribute the decision. to the problems that have been documented there.
The spokesman said in a statement only that the decision was voluntary and that his license was still valid.
“We are now working closely with case managers, families and workers to ensure that customers in these locations are placed on alternative programs that address their unique behavioral health needs,” added Sequel’s spokesman.
Sequel told the Iowa Department of Human Services this week about her plans to close the academy due to fewer children being placed on the premises, said agency spokesman Matt Highland.
The facility enrolled 12- to 18-year-old children at risk from various states, charging about $ 275 a day, per child, to provide therapeutic and residential services. Sequel is under increasing scrutiny after the death of a child at one of its facilities last year. Allegations of negligence and physical abuse, including the misuse of restrictions, also plague the company.
Last summer, Cornelius Frederick, 16, an adopted son, died after being held back by staff at Sequel’s Lakeside Academy in Michigan, a facility that has already been closed. In December, NBC News reported on the poor living conditions and the use of solitary confinement for children at Sequel’s Alabama facility.
Clarinda has been the target of several investigations in recent years.
Disability Rights Washington, a federally funded watchdog group, published a report in 2018 detailing allegations of abuse and inappropriate physical restrictions. The report prompted the state of Washington to stop placing young people in Clarinda.
That same year, investigations by state officials in California and Iowa found that employees had falsified documents and that Clarinda workers forced children to sit and look at the wall for hours on end as punishment.
A 2019 NBC News report revealed more allegations of abuse, including the story of a young resident who was raped by a staff member and an adopted son who was so severely restricted that he lost consciousness.
In response, Sequel announced that it would implement a program that aims to eliminate the use of restrictions at its facilities.
In an interview with NBC News last December, Marianne Birmingham, director of compliance at Sequel, said the company is committed to the safety of its students and employees.
“I understand your concern about what you saw with these claims,” she said. “And I can assure you that we have taken all possible measures to ensure the safety of customers and personnel in our care.”
However, the problems persisted at Clarinda. During a July 2020 investigation, California officials analyzed a video showing that a team member pushed a young man and a maintenance worker and then arrested the same child for 21 minutes. Government inspections have also documented bathrooms soiled with yellow and gray substances, strapless sinks, showers without hot water and exposed nails from torn upholstery on several sofas.
The decision to close Clarinda comes after California, a state that has already sent dozens of children to Sequel’s facilities across the country, announced that it would remove children from the company’s programs. Last month, Sequel announced that it would also close the Normative Services Academy in Sheridan, Wyoming, as well as a therapeutic boarding school in North Carolina.
All three closings were voluntary, said Sequel’s spokesman.
