Chelsea at Midwest Academy (from safeteenschool.org)

This testimony was given on the webpage Safe Teen School by the student Chelsea. All rights goes to the original author.

I am a former student who went to Midwest Academy for 12 ½ months. My experience of that school was God-awful. I reluctantly agreed to go there to check out the school on October 2, 2011 because my life was spiraling out of control. My parents ended up making me stay. I quickly realized within the first week that my personal rights and freedoms were being stripped from me. This program justifies all if it’s actions by saying, “its structure”, when really it’s revolves around fear-tactics and control methods. This school encourages and enforces complete and entire submission to its staff and rules. They have students on their hands and knees to them, literally scrubbing the floors. You are not allowed to stand up for yourself if you’ve been wronged or bullied. I’ve seen girls picked on by upper levels and staff alike. They do this by having the girls snitch on one other if they so much as giggle at an inappropriate level. They encourage this bullying behavior and level ones get the worst of it. Often times, this ignites spitefulness and get-back games among peers. They get consequences for little things like rolling their eyes or speaking.

Students are criticized for everything they do wrong. I once heard a staff member scoff, “This place isn’t supposed to be a country club” I was never asking for a country club. I was never asking for a hot-tub in my room or spa treatments. The staff would so often swat requests away like they’re ridiculous. I wanted some basic human rights like having some personal space. I wanted to greet my friends when I saw them and have conversations with them more than five minutes a day. You are denied the most basic rights as a human being there. And they told me I was crazy!

There are good and bad staff members at Midwest Academy. It felt to me, that Ms. Angie and Ms. Katherine are there because they care about the girls. They have personally helped me with my problems and are examples of what good staff members should be. I am very grateful for what they have done for me. My family rep Mr. James was also a big support to me while I was there. Sometimes it felt like he was against me but overall I think he was on my side. We didn’t agree on a lot of things but he did show up when I asked to talk to him. He was willing to talk through all of my problems with me. Some of the other staff were more focused on the power trips they got from giving girls consequences. I think it was a game for them and they made my life difficult. Mr. Ben being the owner of the facility has a lot of say in what goes on at Midwest Academy. I felt he was a positive influence and I was always was happy to see his face around the campus. He was nice enough to take us to McDonalds every now and then. But really, what I wished for was for him to give me the right to walk down the hallway by myself. I wished I could go to the bathroom by myself. I wished I had more trust on the facility. I wished I had my basic needs fulfilled. I had far greater needs for trust and independence that fast food just couldn’t fill. I think Mr. Ben stands firmly by his program and what it’s about. That being said, to my knowledge he made no efforts to change these constricting rules and fear-tactics used so frequently about his facility. I myself am not in support of the program and the way it is run.

Midwest Academy is not a program to help your child as they say it is. Midwest Academy in essence, is a control camp. It is very much like prison. You have no rights as a human being. You are treated like an animal. We’re herded into rooms like goats and sheep and we’re not allowed to sit on furniture. We sit on the floor in a crowded room, not allowed to lean, talk, or do anything. This was not a very stimulating nor healthy environment to be in. I was abused while I was at Midwest Academy and sadly I saw many of my fellow program-buddies abused as well. Girls were sent into solitary confinement and they would come out with extensive gashes, cuts, and carvings all over their bodies. LET IT BE KNOWN, these girls were watched as they harmed themselves. There is a camera in a room called OSS in which may be solitary confinement at times. This room is smaller than a closet and It’s painted entirely white. Girls are sent there for misbehaving. Sometimes they leave the door open but other times shut the door into solitary confinement for long periods of time. There are no chairs or anything. It’s an empty room. We are fed three times a day with one PB and J sandwich with pickles and fruit each meal with a glass of milk. There is a staff member assigned to watch them as well as two upper levels. You had to sit in structure for 24 hours to get out. This meant, sitting without moving or talking or even itching yourself. You had to ask permission to itch. If you break structure you have to start over. My first time as a level one I was in and out of OSS from October-November of 2011. I am proud of the fight I put up for myself as a level one. I literally couldn’t handle the ridicule of being a new level one on the facility. I was outraged at the oppression of this school and clearly voiced my opinions. This got me hundreds of consequences as a level one. I refused to fill out most of them. I dropped eleven times in a matter of two months. I was targeted and picked on by upper levels for so much as glancing at myself in the mirror or accidentally saying the wrong number in line structure. But not all upper levels were power-trippers. There were some good upper levels who actually supported me as a level one and helped me get up there. During October 2011, I was escorted yet again to OSS for refusing to do gym. Ms. Shasta and Mr. James were telling me as laid on the floor of OSS that I had to change into shorts and T-shirt. Ms. Shasta explicitly threatened that she would have Mr. James forcefully take my clothes off and put me in shorts and a T-shirt. On Ms. Shasta’s part, this is a prime example of the way this place is run.

It’s about fear-tactics and control methods. The well-being of the students does not come first, the structure does. When the winter cold came in November 2011, I shivered in a ball in OSS wearing only a T- hirt and shorts because they refused to give me proper clothing to me keep warm. Meanwhile, the staff members sat there cozy in their sweaters and pants telling me to get over it. This is another example that shows staff comfort are a priority over the students. Although, it is the students’ parents who pay tens of thousands of dollars for their kids to be there, not the staff members.

When I was a level three dorm leader in January of 2012, I was put in OSS for crying too much because I was waking up the other girls. I was in serious physical pain and they would not take me to a hospital as I requested many times over the course of several weeks. The pain got worse as time went on and nothing was done about it. I was on anti-psychotics at the time. Nurse Coleen forgot to get my refill on medication. The pain worsened when my medication ran out and they put me in OSS and closed the door at night. I had a psychotic episode without my medication. The claustrophobia of being locked in closet sized room worsened the anxiety. I lost touch with reality and I was talking to myself profusely because no one would talk to me. I begged for them to open my door as I panicked but the night staff turned their heads away from me, ignored me, and walked out of the room. I had a mental break-down and told them I was going to hurt myself if they didn’t open the door. I would lie on floor for hours on end screaming and crying in pain. In February or March of 2012 Nurse Coleen forgot to get a refill on my medication AGAIN. The physical pain worsened and I went to OSS again. The fear of being ignored and locked up solitary confinement was overwhelming. I started losing touch with reality, but this time I really lost control. At the height of my panic I would beg them to open my door the night staff would simply ignore me and walk out of the room as I writhed from the emotional and physical agony. The last time this happened I couldn’t take it after Ms. Tonya closed my door and locked it again. I told her that I was going to try to kill myself if they didn’t talk to me or at least open my door. She as well as the night staff, watched me through the window as I slammed my head against the metal door eight times. I collapsed to the floor soon after. They never took measures to restrain me like they are supposed to. They were not qualified to handle mental illness. They took away my pillow and sheets but other than that, they made no efforts to stop me from harming myself. During my bouts of physical pain in OSS, Ms. Angie was one of the few staff members who gave a damn about me when I was on the floor in a ball crying in pain. I was not allowed to lie on a mattress so I had to lie on the floor. Ms. Angie was kind enough to give me a pillow in OSS. Mr. James was also supportive while I was in there. Both of them and the upper levels talked me though it all. If it weren’t for the upper levels supporting me there while I was in OSS, I don’t know what I would have done. I cannot thank them enough for helping me through my struggles. I went through the worst hardship of my life while I served time in OSS. Not taking my medication may have been the cause of the severe heightened physical pain I was going through. It may have been the withdrawals of not taking my meds. There was no diagnosis for my physical pain. Either way, Midwest was ill-equipped to handle the situation and they did so poorly. They never took me to a hospital when I told them I needed to. I had no voice, my opinion meant nothing. I’ve seen and witnessed many similar situations happen in OSS.

I’ve seen girls come out of OSS with bloody hands and legs and emotional scars far worse. LET IT BE KNOWN, these staff members were not qualified to deal with mental illness in which many unfortunate students sent there have. I am a personal victim. My story is truth and there are many more who have had the same experience. If I was a parent and I loved my child and I wanted what was best for them, I would not send them to Midwest Academy or any other boarding school like this. This is coming from a former student, and I’ve never seen worse treatment of adolescents in my life. It happened to me, it’s happened to many others, and I’m sure it will happen to more.

I turned eighteen in the program in May of 2012. I stayed five months after my birthday to finish high school and get level four. I did both of those things and am very proud of it. Soon after I got level four I dropped to level one. I decided to take my exit plan when my parents told me they wouldn’t take me home. The exit plan that Midwest Academy so often encourages and promotes parents to take, is sending your child to a homeless shelter. And that is where I went. I was given a garbage bag for my things (courtesy of Midwest Academy) and the bag started to rip so I asked for another one. Going to that homeless shelter was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. A former student and I both stayed there because we both took our exit plans. I felt so relieved to be out of the confines of that school. I took pleasure in my stay at the homeless shelter. I loved it because it was freedom. I had been dreading going there. I expected the worst and I got the best. I thought it was ironic that the homeless shelter was much more hospitable and livable than the program. If I could go back, I would much rather live in that homeless shelter for a year than at Midwest Academy hands down. I have been living a free person for almost six months now and I could not be happier. I am now living with my parents. I have a job and am going to college. I love being back with my family where I’m supposed to be. I hope this helps anyone who would consider sending their child away. Please take care in making your decision. If you are a former student and have witnessed or experienced abuse at Midwest Academy, don’t be afraid to speak up about it because I did!


Sources:

• The original testimony (safeteenschools)
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)