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Logan River Academy is a private boarding school serving students in grades 7-12 located in Logan, Utah, United States.

LRA is owned by the private equity firm Pharos Capital Group, LLC. Their CEO and founder, Kneeland Youngblood, is one of the top Barack Obama political bundlers and is a member of Joe Biden's President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

The School

Logan River Academy has a capacity of approximately eighty students. Most students attending receive significant therapeutic counselling and support as part of their education program. The school also serves students on the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum.

Tuition

The program's tuition is variable, depending on whether private or public money is being used for tuition. The treatment center bills separately for school, residential hours, and therapy sessions. However, tuition generally exceeds ten thousand U.S. dollars per month, and children generally stay at the program year-round.

Licensing

Logan River Academy holds licensing as a residential treatment center through the Utah State Department of Human Services. as well as being a California certified non public school which allows California School Districts to directly place and fund students at the school as part of their FAPE obligations.

Accreditation

Educational program accreditation

Logan River Academy's educational component is accredited through AdvancED. Logan River Academy's 2009 accreditation report states, "The facilities of Logan River Academy are commendable, and the school design is very beneficial to learning and teaching." As areas for potential improvement, the report notes unexplained high staff turnover and a lack of curriculum maps and of adequate individual student achievement data. The report also notes that the facility's educational programs did not provide adequate curriculum maps nor the desired amount of student achievement data, and that the school should work to reduce a high rate of staff turnover.

Residential program accreditation

Logan River Academy's residential treatment program is accredited by the Joint Commission (JCAHO) . The school also belongs to NATSAP, a non-accrediting membership organization that regulates standards on its member organizations. Logan River Academy is also licensed by the state of Utah as a residential treatment center.

Sports

Although Logan River Academy formerly competed in sports, as of May 2020 it has no active sports teams or groups. In Winter 2014 the school had two basketball teams. In 2012, two Logan River Academy students were allowed to try out for a team at the local high school, but the Utah High School Activities Association did not allow them to play for the team because they had no parents or guardians residing in the district.

Criticism

Logan River Academy has been the subject of a campaign of criticism led by Anonymous, which alleged that the school uses a form of solitary confinement on students. This is denied by the school, which says the allegations are "unfounded" and that there is "no basis for the allegations out there". Despite the denials, many former students have reported severe abuse and torture at the hands of school staff as part of the school's behavior modification techniques. Some have compared the abuse against students at the school to the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The campaign against the school has used an online petition on change.org as well as campaigning on social media.

The school terminated some of the practices that were the subject of criticism. Among them was the practice of Development, or "Devo", a dormitory with stricter rules where students would be sent for misbehaving. As of early 2019, the school focused on helping students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and mild to moderate behavioral disorders.

In addition to Anonymous, other groups have criticized the school over a variety of issues, such as the fact that many of the school's employees are not professionally licensed by the state of Utah. However, there is no requirement for licensing of general nonteacher/non-medical general support staff at residential treatment centers or other public schools.

To counter the harsh criticism the residential treatment center has received and abuse claims made by former residents, the school has published a website with a statement denying such abuse. In its statement, Logan River Academy's also claims it has never been involved in litigation regarding its care. However, in 2019, a former resident sued Logan River Academy, claiming that while under Logan River's care she had been "repeatedly sexually abused" by a Logan River employee.

Also in 2019, a female resident at Logan River, accused of molesting a younger student, pleaded no contest to three counts of misdemeanor sexual battery. She was sentenced to continue treatment at the center, among the other residents.

References

1. "Logan River Academy". California School directory. California Department of Education. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
2. "Logan River Academy". education.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014.
3. Private School Review - Logan River Academy Profile Archived 2013-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Private School Review - Logan River Academy Profile
4. Utah Human Services License Search, Utah Human Services License Search
5. AdvancED Institution Summary - Logan River Academy.
6. ^ "The Report of the Accreditation Visiting Team: Logan River Academy, April 14, 2009". Utah State Office of Education. pp. 7, 26. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011.
7. Logan River Academy Academics. "Logan River Academy Academics". loganriveracademyacademics.blogspot.com.
8. Goon, Kyle (December 4, 2012). "Logan River Academy Students Aim to Play for Logan". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
9. Palmer, Ewan (12 November 2013). "Anonymous Campaigns to Close Logan River Academy over Student Torture Allegations". International Business Times.
10. Amy Joi O'Donoghue (11 November 2013). "Hacker group alleges Logan River Academy abuses clients". KSL.
11. Fernando Alfonso III (11 November 2013). "Anonymous aims to shut down Utah boarding school over abuse allegations". The Daily Dot.
12. Keller, Kelsey (13 November 2013). "Logan River Academy says abuse allegations are false". Cache Valley Daily.
13. Shut Logan River Academy on Vimeo
14. "Anonymous leads calls to #ShutLoganRiver". Al-Jazeera The Stream. 12 November 2013.
15. "Home". Logan River Academy. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
16. "This is a staff list for Logan River Academy in Logan, UT". 28 Mar 2015. Retrieved 25 Mar 2016.
17. "R501-19-5. Staffing, R501-19. Residential Treatment Programs, R501. Human Services, Administration, Administrative Services, Licensing, Utah Administrative Code". elaws.us. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
18. ^ "Logan River Academy Truth". Archived from the original on April 19, 2018.
19. "Samantha Gerson v. Logan River Academy (2:19-cv-05008), District Court, C.D. California". CourtListener. January 29, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
20. ^ Feelright, Will (March 14, 2019). "Logan River Academy student charged with molesting others accepts plea deal". Cache Valley Daily. Retrieved June 9, 2021.

41°42′12″N 111°51′17″W / 41.703397°N 111.8547997°W / 41.703397; -111.8547997

• Therapeutic boarding schools in the United States
• Schools in Cache County, Utah