Utah Boys Ranch
| West Ridge Academy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | |
| West Jordan, Utah, USA | |
| Information | |
| School type | private |
| Denomination | nondenominational |
| Director | Kenneth R. Allen |
| Age range | 9 – 18 |
| Enrollment | 150 |
| Website | http://westridgeacademy.com/ |
Coordinates: 40°35′03″N 112°01′10″W / 40.584239°N 112.019367°W
West Ridge Academy (known as the Utah Boys Ranch until 2005), is a youth residential treatment center based in West Jordan, Utah, USA. It seeks to provide clinical services, education, and other programs for teens, both girls and boys, that are identified as at risk. Until 2005, the Utah Boys Ranch was male-only. In early 2005, it opened new, separate facilities for girls and changed its name to West Ridge Academy. It is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation under the name Children and Youth Services, Inc. The academy states that it provides "quality clinical services, education, and experiences which promote spiritual awareness, personal accountability and change of heart." The facility has received criticism for past abusive practices toward residents, including facing lawsuits in 2008, 2010, and 2012 by former students. In 2016, the application to transition West Ridge Academy into a charter school, named Eagle Summit Academy, was approved by the Utah Board of Education after including caveats to keep public and private funding separate in the school's budgets and to ensure the safety of the new charter school's students.
West Ridge also provides a day program called Sunshine Solutions for underprivileged local kids, age five and up which provides "summer activities, positive mentors and emotional growth to help them learn how to make good decisions". The school is Christian but non-denominational, with the majority of students belonging to the Mormon church.
The board of directors is composed of prominent Utah residents including Shawn Bradley,BYU religion instructor Sally Wyne, and LaVar Christensen. Past board members included Utah Senator Delpha Baird, West Jordan city Judge Ronald Kunz, and police chief Ken McGuire. Stan and Mary Ellen Smoot, and Richard and Linda J. Eyre serve on an advisory board. The current executive director is Kenneth R. Allen, who is also director of Proficio Management, a management company owned by the academy. Since their founding, over 25,000 teens have attended the institution. West Ridge is licensed by the Utah Department of Human Services. The license of West Ridge Academy is reviewed annually and the organization receives periodic visits from a licensing specialist to monitor and provide technical assistance and to insure compliance with Core and Categorical Rules of Treatment.
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