TALK IS CHEAP -- MORE ON HEARTLAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

There were a couple of very interesting and moving comments in response to my post about Heartland Christian Academy, which I will reproduce below:

From Kari:

hi my name is kari i was actually sent there to heartland christian academy for 3 years i have now been out for a year there is alot of horrible things that went on there that no one even knows about.. they cut my hair to above my ears they would not allow us to talk for weeks at a time we were forced to read the bible and got to 25 church services if not more in a week we lived in dorms with no windows and we had a courtyard were we could "go outside" but there were 30 foot walls around it so we could only glimpse the sky one punishment was to hit us with a big paddle while being bent over by grown men until we couldnt take anymore and we would fall out they also made us dig 6ft by 6ft graves and made us lay in them how sick is that they told us we were burying our old selves and now god could live in us if people needed to unite over something this is it it is an evil place and yes torture is describing their acts they should be shut down immediatley i tried to kill myself there and i know several kids tonight that are locked up there are contimplating it my email is [email protected] we need to do something

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From Galnoir:

OMG! My husband and I drove past the Heartland compound just this past Friday . . .

I will pass this info on to my state reps and ask what can be done to shut them down. (Unfortunately, the Missouri state lege is in the hands of some real whackos, on up to Gov. "Boy" Blunt, so I won't hold my breath ... but I'll do what I can.) 

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These kinds of comments always bring me up short because they are such a sharp reminder that all I am doing is sitting in my comfy chair and opining.  I obviously have certain very strong ideas but it really doesn't make much of a real-world difference how badly I feel for the children at Heartland Christian Academy or how evil I think it is. 

As far actually doing something, I feel as though I don't really any brilliant ideas but I will open the thread up for discussion. The difficulty in this case is that the State of Missouri's prior efforts on behalf of the children at Heartland have been found to be outside the bounds of the law and the State has been punished for it.  A juvenile officer was ordered to pay $800,000 to Heartland to compensate it for an improper mass removal of juveniles from the facility.  It appears that the State has done all it can under the law for the time being and it appears likely that the State will tread carefully in the future.  Any solution would probably require passing new legislation in Missouri-- perhaps some sort of law regarding state monitoring of juvenile boot camps or boarding schools.   

Here is what I will do, as little as it is: I am going to email this post to Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE) and to Prevent Child Abuse Missouri because they may have more practical ideas than I about what could be done.  And I certainly urge anyone who is a Missouri resident, like Galnoir, to speak to your state rep. about the situation and about whether any legislation could be passed to remedy it.

As for children who are currently in Heartland and contemplating suicide, I am not sure I know enough about the situation to give good advice.  But here are my thoughts: If you have specific information about a child at Heartland contemplating suicide, the authorities would surely intervene in some way.  But I am not sure how far such intervention would go in protecting these children FROM Heartland, as opposed to merely preventing the imminent threat of suicide.  Heartland itself may end up dealing with the situation and I don't know if they take a punitive approach to suicide attempts. (Kari, you know better than I do how Heartland is likely to respond to a suicide attempt.)  Another option might be to inform these children's parents if you have their contact information -- although presumably the parents actually approve of Heartland's methods. (Kari, I will email you the link to report this matter to the Missouri Department of Social Services, if you choose to report to them any imminent danger to a child at Heartland.)

It's frustrating. I wish I had better ideas as to how to respond.  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

Comments

[Richard]

(Whoops. Posted this initially under the wrong post. Sorry.)

>>> Happy wrote: The difficulty in this case is that the State of Missouri's prior efforts on behalf of the children at Heartland have been found to be outside the bounds of the law and the State has been punished for it.  A juvenile officer was ordered to pay $800,000 to Heartland to compensate it for an improper mass removal of juveniles from the facility. 

I'm not so sure this situation is as black and white as you portray. The state’s conduct has been rather egregious bordering on child abuse itself, according to the federal court judge who heard the case, and the appellate court who review it:

"In successfully pressing for the injunctions, Heartland called the removals unconstitutional seizures that violated its right to due process. [Federal District Court Judge] Webber again concurred Tuesday, questioning what he called the "crudely executed loading of the children like criminals on buses, in a fashion reminiscent of horror of earlier world events. [ ... ] The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last summer upheld Webber's initial injunction, ruling that Webber wisely weighed the possible harm to Heartland if it was unprotected 'from the trauma of another mass roundup' of children [ ... ] In his initial ruling, Webber expressed disgust with the videotaped raid, describing the scene of students forcibly loaded on buses as 'surreal, as if captured in some totalitarian state. [ ... ] While noting Waddle's 'significant public interest in protecting Missouri's children,' the appellate court ruled that Webber 'recognized the good work Heartland was doing with children who might otherwise 'fall through the cracks.' We cannot say that (Webber) erred in its consideration of the public-interest factor. Webber found that another mass removal of Heartland boarding students was 'a real possibility absent an injunction,' resulting 'in additional trauma to already troubled children, a loss of trust, and a break in the continuity of care that is so important to the Heartland children,' the 8th Circuit said." (emphasis added)

Criminal charges were brought against eight caseworkers at Academy, and the state failed to get a single conviction. Zero for eight. All were acquitted or had the charges dropped.

I'm not saying nothing's "happening" at the Academy, but just because you and I personally don't agree with corporal punishment does not mean legally defined child abuse is going on there. It also does not mean that kids who have been there have not actually benefited from the facility. Someone really needs to investigate state behavior and the possibility of unjustified ill will by it toward the Academy. Some people just hate religious-based institutions regardless of quality of work. I'm just saying an open mind at this point seems advisable.

I have never opined that legally defined child abuse is going on there. I doubt that paddling or any of the other stuff I have described is legally defined child abuse. That's part of the problem (in addition to the lack of monitoring). That's why I think the solution has to be legislative.

(I am not impressed with the notion that loading kids onto buses is abusive, by the way. However, I think it IS important to remember that government caseworkers and child care people aren't necessarily going to less abusive or more sensitive in handling children. I advocate government oversight not because I think government is better qualified but because I think reform schools should have some sort of independent oversight for the reasons I outlined in my first post.)

[The Happy Feminist]

Oops that was me. And I deleted your identical comment from the other thread.

[ann adams]

I have a couple of political friends in MO. I can at least pass the word if nothing else.

I knew it was bad but not this bad.

[BJ]

Charles Sharpe has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians in Missouri. It might be interesting to find out if Judge Webber is on Sharpe's payroll.

[jordan]

i recently read People Magazine's article about h-land. After reading this I went to their website. They seemed to cover it up by saying a lot of crap. HEARTLAND= HELLAND

[Sonya Morgan]

I read about this place in People magazine the Oct 23rd , 2006 issue and it blows my mind how the police have dismissed charges against this place time and time again after things they have done to children at this place.
I understand if you have a child that is hard to handle but I would never want my child to be treated the way these people treat the children at this place.
More people need to be aware of this place and what goes on.
I am so sorry you went thru what you did at this place, I hope you can get past it and live a happy life.
I know you will never forget it but I hope you can heal from it.
God bless
Sonya Morgan

[Tammy]

Check this out

http://www.nospank.net/hrtlnd.htm

[Amused]

I think it's very interesting that so many of you are swayed to believe something is true just because you read it in a magazine. I am sorry that you are so ignorant. Have you ever been there? How much research have you actually done, other than quoting other people's opinion. Where is the intellect in that?
Why don't you find some facts if you are so interested in these children? But, I really don't believe that you are, it's just fun to get on your soapbox and spew your opinions. I will be really interested in what you have to say when you actually do something.

Amused

[Matt Brunk]

I was at Heartland for 11 months and 2 weeks. On thing I learned from that place is how to suffer. Every one can say what they want about Heartland, but until you accually experience it first hand you need to keep your mouth shut. The first day I was there I saw a kid get dragged in the office and held down so they could spank him with a paddle. They hit him so many times that I couldnt listen any more. The next day his butt was so black and brused he couldnt even sit down. I know this for a fact becouse he showed it to me. I have seen so many beatings in that place it is rediculous. How about the time where a guy named Ron broke my friends nose and nothing came out of it. Or the time Ron kicked me in the head and no one did shit. Or what about the time when they slammed my roomate Dillan up against the wall and repeatedly pushed his head into the wall with his finger while screaming in his face. Does antyone know what a thrashing is? This is what they give you if you miss behav or get a bad report card. A thrashing is when they force you to do physical exercise or run until you throw up or make you roll down hills covered in with rocks. Then they make you hold up bricks until you cant go on, but you better go on other wise its the paddle. Im sure all you parents out there would love to send your kids to a place that makes them go out side in the middle of winter any do push ups and jumping jacks in a blizzard with negative degree tempatures. You know it funny everyone can debate whether or not child abuse is happening a Heartland or not when you have never been there. But me i know for a fact it is cause i was abused physically and mentally as a child in the progam at Heartland. And dont even argue with me about all the child labor laws that where being broken while i was there. So please perants dont send your kids into this envorment. Unless of course you want the to be punished drasiclly until they finally become christan to make it stop. I would love to see something done about this but it will never happen because Charlie Sharpe has way to much money.