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Spring Ridge Academy

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Spring Ridge Academy
Address
13690 S Burton Rd

Mayer
,
Yavapai County
,
Arizona
86333
Information
School typeFor-profit program, Behavioral Health Residential Facility
Founded1996
FoundersJeannie Courtney
GenderGirls
Age range13-17
AccreditationsCognia (education)[1]
Tuition$126,000 to $162,000[2]
Websitehttps://springridgeacademy.com/

Coordinates: 34°20′45″N 112°10′06″W / 34.345825°N 112.168385°W / 34.345825; -112.168385 Spring Ridge Academy is a behavioral health residential facility for teenage girls ages 13 to 17 in Spring Valley, Arizona, US.[3][4]

Background

Jean Courtney founded Spring Ridge Academy in or around 1996.[5] Jean Courtney was previously involved with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP), wherein she and her husband at the time, David Gilcrease contracted with WWASP schools to conduct indoctrination workshops with students and parents.[6] WWASP and its schools have been the subject of lawsuits alleging horrible abuse (physical, mental, and psychological) and torture of students.[7] [8]

The campus was originally a house with a barn attached and only had one student.[9] It is now capable of housing up to 76 girls with a facility that includes classrooms, medical areas, labs, and athletic fields and courts.[10][4]

Spring Ridge Academy is currently owned and operated by Jeannie Courtney's son and daughter-in-law, Brandon and Suzanne Courtney.

Programming

Spring Ridge Academy is a clinical therapeutic program with a college preparatory academic curriculum.[3]

The program includes four phases that each student is expected to complete at their own pace.[3] The program’s average length of stay is 14 to 18 months.[3]

As a girl progresses in the phase system, she accrues certain privileges as well as shifts her focus in the program. Phase One, known as Orientation, focuses are getting the girl compliant and submissive to the program's ideology. Phase Two, consistency, has a large focus on showing consistency in following SRA rules. Phase Three, integration, has a large family focus as the girls may now start attending visits at home. Phase Four, transition, adds in friends and social media. Upon graduation from the SRA program, parents are advised to continue their child's education in another structured setting, usually another boarding school, private school, or college, depending on the child's education level at that time.

Spring Ridge Academy's program “addresses” five areas: emotional, relational, spiritual, intellectual, and physical. Spring Ridge works closely with the student's family. Parents are required to participate in family therapy with their daughter, attend occasional workshops, have monthly visits (after an initial period of restricted access so they can gain control of the girls and scare them from revealing abuse), and have communication through letters and phone calls. These letters and phone calls are typically monitored so that the kids cannot complain about treatment and abuse from the staff. Additionally, in the SRA parent handbook, parents are preemptively instructed not to acknowledge their child’s concern about “any of the horrendous circumstances and events that she will undoubtedly describe”.

Parents or guardians who have their child admitted to Spring Ridge pay tuition and fees. Medical insurance may cover part of the costs.

Controversy

In 2021, the parent of a former resident filed a lawsuit against Spring Ridge Academy, alleging causes of action for negligence and fraud, amongst other things. The mother claims that the troubled teen program used non-evidence-based treatment practices on her daughter and misrepresented the tactics the program used before she enrolled her child there.[11] In a workshop, for example, girls at Spring Ridge Academy were allegedly instructed to beat their chair with rolled up towels containing their anger while other students screamed at them.[12]

Spring Ridge Academy has also been accused of using conversion therapy.[13] According to a former resident, students at Spring Ridge Academy who do not identify as females are given femininity assignments, where they are forced to wear dresses and makeup and curl their hair as therapy.[13] The trans teen reported that students were coerced to dress up as assigned characters during seminars, and he was made to wear a red lace dress and “a ton of makeup,” and to curl his hair.[13]

Other alumni have come forward alleging abuse as part of the Breaking Code Silence movement, describing the Academy as a cult and as being exploitative of families.[14]

The Arizona Department of Health Services has given Spring Ridge Academy fourteen documented citations that include:

  • 2 administration violations;
  • 2 medication service violations;
  • 2 emergency and safety standards violations;
  • 1 opioid prescribing and treatment violation
  • 2 quality management violations;
  • 1 admissions/assessment violation;
  • 2 environmental standards violations;and
  • 2 behavioral health services violations.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Cognia – Institution Summary". advanc-ed.org/. Cognia. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Sweidy v. Spring Ridge Academy et al (United States District Court, Arizona January 21, 2021).Text
  3. ^ a b c d "Enrollment Terms and Agreement" (PDF). Spring Ridge Academy. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Residential List" (PDF). Arizona Department of Health Services. Arizona Department of Health Services. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  5. ^ Sweidy v. Spring Ridge Academy et al (United States District Court, Arizona January 21, 2021).Text
  6. ^ Sweidy v. Spring Ridge Academy et al (United States District Court, Arizona January 21, 2021).Text
  7. ^ Sweidy v. Spring Ridge Academy et al (United States District Court, Arizona January 21, 2021).Text
  8. ^ Williams, Timothy (24 July 2013). "Students Recall Special Schools Run Like Jails". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Spring Ridge Academy". usboardingschools.com. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Spring Ridge Academy". usboardingschools.com. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  11. ^ Sweidy v. Spring Ridge Academy et al (United States District Court, Arizona January 21, 2021).Text
  12. ^ Sweidy v. Spring Ridge Academy et al (United States District Court, Arizona January 21, 2021).Text
  13. ^ a b c Sugiuchi, Deirdre (December 17, 2020). ""Conversion Therapy" is Abuse". Dame Magazine. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Jennifer's Story -- Breaking Code Silence". breakingcodesilence.net. Retrieved 14 April 2021. |first1= missing |last1= (help)
  15. ^ "Licensing Facilities and Providers". hsapps.azdhs.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-14.

External links

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