LETTER TO THE EDITOR — I usually don’t respond to former students’ comments as these students usually suffer from a history of severe problems and often mental illness. But with such vicious attacks, I must respond.

First, there may be some very isolated staff/student incidents that were wrong. But I have always felt, as every operator would agree with me, that any staff involved in the abuse or mistreatment of students should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. For no operator that I know (and I know dozens) would ever support, teach, encourage or condone such abuse or mistreatment. In fact, the direct opposite.

While I have not owned, operated or worked as a staff at a program for 30 years, if there was systemic or widespread abuse at the programs there would have been concerns from the many monitors and systems in place to safeguard it.

For example: all programs had what is known as “mandatory reporters,” people under legal responsibility to report any suspected abuse or mistreatment. These “mandatory reporters” were on campus everyday, including teachers, therapists and nurses. To think all these adults hid abuse and mistreatment or were part of it and did not report it is beyond rationale.

Further, students while enrolled went to see independent doctors, psychiatrists or psychologists. To think that all of these outside professionals again hid or supported any abuse or mistreatment is not rational.

Additionally, the programs were often closely overseen by competent licensing people who actively investigated things.

Most important, the programs had parents between family visits and seminars on the facility almost every day and had unmonitored talks with their child. Parents were always especially interested in sharing any concerns.

Lastly, every student when on an off-grounds visit, home visit or when they left the program for good, they simply could have called child protective or law enforcement and made a complaint. Where are then such complaints?

Complaints to law enforcement of course would have needed specifics that could be verified. Not the “it didn’t happen to me but I heard it happened to others” that is so prevalent in the complaints made in media and online.

So instead of credible evidence from credible persons: nurses, teachers, therapist or law enforcement, Katherine Kubler gives viewers what she openly admits as a revenge project.

This letter was submitted to St. George News by ROBERT LICHFIELD via notarized electronic mail on March 26, 2024.

Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.

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