Glen Mills School Forced To Close Amid Child Abuse Allegations

We are learning that the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is revoking the license of Glen Mills, an all-boys school in Philadelphia.

The revocation comes after a lengthy investigation. A DHS spokesperson cited “gross incompetence, negligence, and misconduct in operating the facilities,” and “mistreatment and abuse of children in care.”

This move comes after years of incidents that have taken place at the school, many of them involving serious injuries to children. At Soloff & Zervanos, P.C., we know that these cases are complex. If you need a Philadelphia child molestation lawyer, we are ready to help you secure the compensation you deserve.

What Happened Here?

Documents released show decades of documented abuse at Glen Mills. The school, founded in 1826, has recently come under fire after some high-profile injuries.

• In 2017, a teenager was removed from Glen Mills after counselors stepped on his face and broke his jaw.
• During the summer of 2018, two counselors were caught on surveillance video abusing a boy. One counselor slammed the boy to the floor and choked him while the other punched the boy in the face. In this case, both counselors were arrested.

Investigations show that, in the last five years, Glen Mills staff have been cited for dozens of serious abuses. Documents show that the counselors would attack boys for relatively minor misconduct including not listening, making crude jokes, or talking back. Boys say that staff convinced them to lie about their injuries and about the abuse, telling them they would be sent to worse facilities if they told the truth.

Glen Mills leaders say they are going to appeal the decision by the DHS and say the move was taken with “no credible evidence.”

Children Injuries Happen

When we put trust in other adults to care for our children, we should not have to worry about their safety. However, as you can see above, abuses take place. This kind of willful abuse and neglect cannot be tolerated.

We also know that children get injured due to other negligent actions that are not necessarily out of malice. This can include:

• Leaving a child unsupervised
• Letting a child use unsafe toys
• Faulty or unsafe playground equipment
• Leaving chemicals or medications out
• Not properly securing pools or hot tubs
• Improperly secured car seats

Injuries can range from bumps and scrapes to severe injuries like broken bones, lacerations, and internal injuries.

What We Can Do?

It is always horrific to hear about a child being injured. It is even worse when the negligence or malice of an adult caused the injury. At Soloff & Zervanos, P.C., we are ready to help if your child has been injured. Our qualified and experienced team will investigate your case and work to secure compensation for the following:

• All injury-related medical expenses
• Pain and suffering damages
• Loss of enjoyment of life damages
• Punitive damages against the people responsible

When you need a Philadelphia Child Molestation Lawyer, you can contact us by calling us at 215-929-7216.