The Columbus Dispatch
November 14, 1999, Sunday

HEADLINE: CHURCH QUESTIONS SCHOOLS' METHODS

TEEN HELP LOSES BID FOR
PROPERTY

BYLINE: Alice Thomas, Dispatch Staff Reporter

A controversial chain of toughlove schools for troubled teen-agers -- which
gained notoriety in the case of a Northwest Side teen -- has lost a bid to
open a behavior-modification school on 300 acres in southeastern Kentucky.

The plan stalled when the property's owner, the Reformed Church of America,
questioned how the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs operates and
treats teen- agers. The association is also known by the name of its
marketing arm -- Teen Help.

"We had some real concerns with some of the reports of abuse of some
participants in that program and some concerns with codes they may have been
violating,'' said Roger DeYoung, program coordinator for mission services
for the Reformed Church in America.

"Our purpose is to provide both a Christian and a church context in our
ministry, and they do not do that,'' DeYoung said.

The association operates at least six schools, including Tranquility Bay in
Jamaica, which became a familiar name in the case of Justin Goen.

The Columbus teen, who later admitted to using drugs and having behavior
problems, was "kidnapped'' by his parents and flown to Tranquility Bay last
year.

His parents were investigated by Franklin County child welfare officials,
who eventually dropped the case after checking on his well-being in Jamaica.

Justin Goen later criticized child welfare officials and said the program
had helped him. He said he never saw evidence of physical abuse.

While some parents say the tough tactics employed by the program turned
their children's lives around, others say the tactics are cruel and violate
children's rights.

A school operated by the company in Czechoslovakia was shut down, and other
branches have been investigated by authorities following up on allegations
of abuse.

The Rev. Steve Norden, pastor of the New Hope Reformed Church on Powell Road
near the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, is on the board of directors for the
church's Jackson County, Ky., ministries.

The ministries, which focus on helping youths, operate the 300-acre site in
Annville, Ky., for purposes including a school for poor, Appalachian
children and a therapeutic home for juvenile offenders.

Norden said Teen Help offered the church $ 440,000 for the property, which
was appraised in 1994 at $ 4 million. Norden and other officials voted Oct.
19 to reject the offer.

He said the church wasn't looking to sell the property and was concerned
about supervision of the tough-love schools, which can cost families up to $
30,000 a year.

"When it came down to supervision, each property is responsible for
following the manual, but I did not see any accountability structures in
place,'' Norden said.

Carey Gubler, who works for Teen Help at its St. George, Utah,

headquarters and was active in the land negotiations, said the company is
not looking to expand.

"It was just a nice campus that was not being used and we thought we could
put to good use,'' Gubler said. "We pursued it a little bit and then dropped
it. We're not out looking anymore.''