Iowa Clarinda Academy Youth Facility Shuttered after Years of Alleged Sexual Assault and Physical Abuse

Nestled in a Southwest Iowa town of the same name, Clarinda Academy, a facility for troubled youth, has been shuttered. The closing of the center, operated by a for-profit company known as Sequel Youth & Family Services, comes after persistent and pervasive and persistent allegations of sexual assault and physical abuse perpetrated on minors by Clarinda Academy staff.

Clarinda Academy was operated as a facility to provide for the needs of children with more significant behavioral and mental health issues. A considerable percentage of the children placed at Clarinda Academy are in the foster care program. Clarinda Academy housed not only children from Iowa but a considerable percentage were sent to the facility from other states. Clarinda Academy has been in operation in Iowa since 1992.

Headquartered in Alabama, Sequel runs a multitude of facilities across the United States. Allegations of sexual assault and physical abuse are a recurrent theme at Sequel facilities for youth in many states across the country.

Reported Clarinda Academy sexual assault cases include especially violent incidents involving rape and sodomy of minor residents of the facility perpetrated by adult staff members. An example of such a case involves a 17-year-old girl in with behavioral issues, which resulted from her living away from her mother and in foster care. She had been sexually assaulted twice while in foster care before a judge elected to send her to Clarinda Academy.

Because of the girl’s prior experiences in foster care, her mother inquired as to whether or not only female staff would work in the girl’s dorm in which her daughter would be assigned. Clarinda Academy assured her mother that only female staff members work the girl’s dorm. That was not the case.

Not long after her admission to Clarinda Academy, the girl was raped by a male staff member in her dorm. Following the rape, the perpetrator repeatedly confronted the girl about not telling any one about what he had done to her.

The perpetrator of this particular Clarinda Academy sexual assault was a convicted felon. The man previously has been found guilty of burglary, which is classified as a violent felony. Clarinda Academy staff was aware of the man’s felony history and the specific nature of his crime when the hired him.

The case involving the 17-year-old female resident is far from the only instance of Clarinda Academy sexual abuse alleged to have occurred. Other cases have been categorized as lascivious conduct with a child as well as forcible sodomy with a minor.

In addition, allegations involving the physical abuse of children at Clarinda Academy abound. These include children being beaten by staff members as well as minors being forcibly restrained for unreasonable periods of time, sufficient enough to jeopardize the health, wellbeing, and even the lives of these young people.

Despite the serious allegations being made against Clarinda Academy at the time it was shut down, management of Sequel issued only a vacuous statement about the situation, which reads in part:

“At Sequel, we continuously evaluate our programs to ensure we are meeting the needs of our clients. Based on a recent review, we made the voluntary decision to terminate our contract with Clarinda Academy in Iowa.”

If you are an adult survivor of sexual abuse, or if your son or daughter is the victim of sexual assault in a school or other similar type of setting, the legal team at The Doan Law Firm can explain your rights. A nationwide law firm, we’ve offices located from coast to coast in the United States.

You can connect with an experience sexual assault lawyer or adult survivor of sexual abuse attorney by calling The Doan Law Firm at (800) 349-0000 any time of the day or night. Our sexual abuse attorney hotline is staffed 365 days a week including all major holidays.

There is no charge for an initial consultation and case evaluation with a Doan Law Firm sexual assault attorney or adult survivor of sexual abuse lawyer. We also make an attorney fee promise to you. Our firm will never charge you an attorney fee unless we win your case for you.