Following allegations of physical abuse of eight United States teenagers at Atlantis Leadership Academy in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, the Education and Youth Ministry has disclosed that the private boarding school was not registered with the ministry.
Portfolio Minister Fayval Williams made the disclosure at a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday.
The Atlantis Leadership Academy, which advertises itself as a faith-based school, is said to have served teens struggling with substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and deviant behaviour.
The eight US boys who were reportedly physically abused have since been removed from the facility, and five male employees have since been charged with several offences related to the alleged abuse at the institution.
Williams said that any educational institution offering services to “our children” must be registered with the Ministry of Education and Youth.
“This particular institution in Treasure Beach was not registered with the Ministry of Education and Youth,” declared Williams.
“They (Atlantis Leadership Academy) did make inquiries at some point in time, some years ago, but we’ve searched our records, and they were not registered, so they’re operating in a space that is outside of the regulatory framework,” she explained.
Williams said following developments at the school coming to the ministry’s attention, the ministry “acted immediately”, and an investigation is under way.
“The children, who were there, were taken by the CPFSA (Child Protection and Family Services Agency).
“Some of them have already been returned to their parents, or other institutions in the US, and we continue to monitor and provide for the ones that are still here as they go through the process,” said Williams.
The CPFSA said the alleged abuse of the boys came to light during an unannounced welfare check on the institution on February 8, which was conducted jointly with representatives from the US Embassy in Kingston.
The agency said it was during its visit to the private facility that signs of abuse and neglect were observed, leading to the immediate removal of eight teens — aged 14 to 18 years — from the facility, reportedly for their safety.
Randall Cook, the founder and director of Atlantis Leadership Academy, has denied the allegations of abuse at the facility.
The five men charged with offences, such as assault occasioning bodily harm, cruelty to a child and assault at common law, relative to the abuse allegations at the boarding school, were granted $350,000 bail last week.
