Teenager dies at school known for strict discipline

By Matthew Franck
Post-Dispatch Jefferson City Bureau


A teenager sent to a private boot camp in northwest Missouri has died,  prompting an inquiry by the Caldwell County Sheriff's Department.

The teenager was a student at Thayer Learning Center Boot Camp and Boarding School, a reform program based in Kidder, Mo., that relies on strict, military-style discipline to reach troubled youths. In recent weeks, a few parents have pulled their children from the boot camp citing concerns about their treatment.

Jerry Banks, who operates Thayer, said the student died Wednesday, less than a week after enrolling in the program. Banks would not identify the student and did not provide an age.

Caldwell County Chief Deputy Sheriff Jeff Alsup said the death was part of an ongoing investigation. He declined to provide further details.

Banks said the student apparently died of an "unexplained medical condition." Students at the school participate in intense physical exercise. But Banks said the student was not involved in any physical activity at the time of death.

Banks said he was not aware of the student having any prior medical conditions that would have required special attention. He said the student appeared healthy upon enrolling at the boot camp.

Banks said he welcomed a thorough investigation. "We're cooperating with everyone, because we want the answer, too," he said.

Thayer is one of several teen-reform programs in Missouri that are exempt from most state regulation. Critics say the lack of regulation makes it difficult to verify that the programs are safe.

But Banks said he was open to those who have questions about the boot camp. In September, he allowed a Post-Dispatch reporter to tour the boot camp.

At least three parents have recently withdrawn students from the program, including one mother who said her son had been in solitary confinement for 11 days.

But the majority of parents have stuck with the program, many praising it for rescuing their youth. Banks said recent criticism of the boot camp stems from misinformation spread by disgruntled employees.

Thayer enrolls more than 100 students, nearly all from outside Missouri. The school charges $4,000 a month for tuition and room and board.

    November 11, 2004

Excerpts from this news story:

Authorities are investigating the death of a 15-year-old boy at a private, military-style boot camp in this northwest Missouri community.

Jerry Banks, who runs Thayer Learning Center Boot Camp and Boarding School, said the student died Nov. 3, less than a week after enrolling. The student’s name was not released.

Banks said the student apparently died of an "unexplained medical condition." Though Thayer students participate in intense physical exercise, Banks said the student was not involved in any physical activity when he died.

Without elaborating, Jeff Alsup - Caldwell County’s chief sheriff’s deputy - said the death was part of an ongoing investigation.

Thayer has more than 100 students, nearly all from outside Missouri, and charges $4,000 a month for tuition and room and board.

Missouri law generally exempts boarding schools from state regulation and oversight, but some schools have had to fight critics who say they excessively discipline students.

This year, two religious reform schools closed after abuse allegations.

In October, Thanks to Calvary Baptist Church and Boarding Academy, near Waynesville about 130 miles southwest of St. Louis, shuttered in the wake of enrollment drops after the school’s founder was accused of using excessive discipline against an Illinois teen last year.

In May, Mountain Park Baptist Boarding Academy, in southeast Missouri near Patterson, closed in light of sagging enrollment and a $20,000 jury award to a teenager who claimed mistreatment.