Divorce and school. Do not hold the child as hostage

From one of our partners in the United States we have learned about a divorce case where the outcome very well could be that a teenage girl is send to a remote boarding school in Utah which have claimed the life of a boy back in January 2009.

A petition has been made to save this girl from Louisiana from her awful fate.

We have chosen to quote it in full in order to appeal to you to sign it.

Save Victoria From Diamond Ranch Academy

Today we heard a troubling story about a girl named Victoria, a sweet 16 year old girl from Louisiana who is in danger of being court ordered to be held at Diamond Ranch Academy, in Hurricane, Utah, a notoriously abusive behavior modification program for the next 2 years. Victoria does not deserve to be incarcerated, her father from whom she is estranged simply does not like the school she currently attends and is determined to dictate her education.

Apparently, in Louisiana, when divorced parents cannot agree on a school for their child they go to court, where a judge listens to both parties and then issues a court order deciding which school the child will attend. (This is what the mom has told me.) The father brought in glossy brochures about DRA, showing the horses, the beautiful grounds, ponds, classrooms, dormitories etc, and presented DRA to the judge like it was a boarding school.

Ultimately, the judge approved the Dad’s petition to send his daughter to DRA, and she is scheduled go there June 1.

Mom and daughter both recently visited DRA and were horrified. Neither of them want Victoria to attend this school, and are desperate to find a way to show the judge the truth about Diamond Ranch Academy, the abuse and the maltreatment that has been the cause of injury and death of at least one student in their care.

Please consider signing this petition in support of Victoria being saved from this fate, allowing her and her mother the freedom to choose the school that is best for her, not a program that will abuse her and rob her of the best years of her life.

If you were a student at DRA please share your story here, we will make sure each and every testimony is delivered to the judge presiding over this case.

Thank You
www.troubledprograms.com

We must urge parents that they don't keep their children is a kind of prize money when they divide their assets with their former partner. The children haven't chosen the divorce. They are victims of it and should be allowed to continue their schooling and social life just as they lived it before the divorce.

To sign the petition please use this link: Save Victoria from Diamond Ranch Academy