Neglect, Abuse, & Mistreatment

The Special Report discusses the results of an investigation intended to address grievances made by former and current employees at STS. There were a total of 5 testimonies from the employees, among a number of other general complaints concerning more well-known cases, all of which were meticulously picked apart and refuted. In perusing the 130 pages of content for what felt like hours on end, it truly felt like the Board denied nearly everything and made excuses for things that were undeniable. And they used very strong, and frankly, belittling language. Below, I discussed some of happenings that stood out to me the most, though I'm sure there are many more buried within the document. There are two employee testimonials that stuck with me the most: Ms. Sheldon's and Ms. Percival's.  In Ms. Sheldon's testimonial, her first complaint was that she was essentially thrown into the work without any instruction or training. To my surprise, the Board admitted that this was a fault of there's and that with high turnover rates, it was difficult to manage everything. However, they justified their actions with the following quote:​ "Unfortunately, we are dealing with children who are not ill in any manner, and whose care is purely custodial, so that adequate care can be given even by the inexperienced." This statement completely violates everything that the new institution prided themselves on. From better learning opportunities for all children with disabilities to state-of-the-art training programs for employees, STS was supposed to be better than existing facilities. Even throughout this one document, there is so much contradiction in regard to their goals and outlooks for the children. ​ ​Ms. Percival's testimonial, on the other hand, was probably one of the biggest talking point's in the report. She made a series of complaints ranging from inadequate medical attention to negligent supervision from employees. She also said that the children were fed spoiled fish and allowed to swim in a pool that was unsanitary/unhygienic (which the Board admitted to but claimed that following sickness was measles and not related). This reminded me a lot of the spoiled milk situation at MTS. In response to these allegations, the Board chipped away her legitimacy by claiming that she had personal grievance with her job and a drinking problem. Furthermore, they cited various instances in which she was found to mistreat the children, which is ironic. Regardless if her complaints were factual or not, the fact that she was kept on despite all of the evidence they presented of her misconduct is telling in itself. The last thing I wanted to point out was the discussion of Harold Smith's case. At the very end of the report, an investigator wrote about an interaction an employee, Mr. Reeves. Reeves claimed that Harold was a "troublemaker" who often made physical threats to others, and said that he would "smash this Smith boy's nose all over his face if he attempts to hit him." If this is how one employee felt about interacting with children who are more difficult to manage, there's no doubt that a lot of others, like Holm, harbored similar feelings. ​ Overall, from both the 5 "disgruntled" employees and the stellar employees that were asked to give input, it was clear that STS was severely understaffed, just three years after opening. This would become a deep-rooted problem with STS, as it had afflicted previous institutional models, sealing their fate as essentially a custodial facility.