Midwest Academy Boarding School

I was a student at Midwest Academy for a full 10 months. In the past, I had been through several behavioral health facilities and none had worked. When my legal guardian sent me to Midwest Academy, I was very optimistic and hopeful that I would receive the help that I needed. I lived in the state of GA and traveled all the way to Keokuk Iowa. When I first got there, I had several rules I had to learn. Some of the rules declined my creativity, things such as not being able to draw, sing, dance, or even speak any language other than English. I also found out that I would not be able to play the piano which was a major deal for me since I had been playing for 12 years at the time. I knew that all of these activities were great coping skills for me and that those were the things that kept me alive an just barely holding on. There was a thing called the "merit system" that let you earn points to "level up". The higher the level you were, the more privaledges you got. There were so many ridiculous rules that felt impossible to follow, therefore making nearly impossible to earn points. I was often put in confinement, also called Out of school suspension. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pickles, raisins, and a fruit with milk or water for every single meal. I was often placed there for voicing my own opinion and wanting to express my own emotions. The rooms were nearly prison cells, small, dimly lit, filthy, and concrete with closed in doors. You were to wear shorts and short sleeves with no shoes or socks, even in the winter when there was no heat or ventilation. Recent phycologists I have been to state that my stay at Midwest Academy was truly traumatic, simply based off the information I gave. Now, there is a reason why it was shut down and under investigation. It was my biggest nightmare and I plan to press charges.

I was a resident of MWA for 15 months. I got out about 6 months ago, and I'm still trying to get back to normal. I know some people need help with their kids, but this is not the answer. It's not worth the constant abuse and degradation that goes on here. The staff are unqualified and only treat this as a regular day job. Thank God this place is shut down now.

Hi my name is Grace Riordan and I was at Midwest Academy from October 2013 until December 2014. I can honestly say that those were the worst fourteen months of my life. I was tricked into going by my dad. He convinced me that i was a "normal" boarding school. I don't blame him for tricking me into going there because he didn't know what else to do, and he also had no idea how horribly I would be treated there. In my life I have gone through some pretty traumatizing experiences. I was sexually abused when I was seven, watched my mom die of cancer when I was 13, and I was raped when I was 15. I have struggled with alcohol and drug addiction since I was 12 years old, and my dad knew that I needed to get help. When I got to Midwest Academy I was shocked. The looks on the girls' faces- I can't even begin to describe them. Acne and weight gain/weight loss because of all of the stress. Bags under their eyes from not sleeping and they were so pale from not being able to go outside. And the sadness in their eyes genuinely scared me. While I was there I was put in OSS 17 times, sometimes for weeks at a time. I was forced to carry out the daily routine and even participate in P.E. while I was having benzo withdrawals. (I should have had some type of detox, because I could have had seizures and died.) I was put in Blessing hopital for two weeks after a couple of attempts at suicide. (I suffer from depression, anxiety, and bi-polar depression.) I had an eating disorder when I was younger and when I stopped eating there they threatened to shove a feeding tube down my throat instead of giving me proper therapy. There were rats too. You could hear them in the walls at night, and sometimes there were some running around on the cafeteria floor! PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO MIDWEST ACADEMY I AM BEGGING YOU. The reviews of people who say that it was not actually abusive are brainwashed by the crazy rules and the terrible treatment they received-they are sick.