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Boot Camps & Military Schools in Massachusetts
You’ve tried everything to reverse, stop or slow down your teenager’s terrible behavior, whether it’s substance abuse, depression, self-harm, hanging with the wrong crowd, violence or threats of violence. Let HelpYourTeenNow offer you the support you need on taking significant action toward placing your teen in a residential care facility. Military schools and boot camps are usually where parents look for quick answers and easy solutions, but at HelpYourTeenNow, we believe there are better options out there for your family.
Military Schools and Boot Camps Aren’t the Best Option for Troubled Teens
Despite what the media shows you, military schools and boot camps aren’t the best options for at-risk teens. True military schools are college prep institutions with no resources for therapy. Boot camps are generally privately owned programs with emphasis on hard physical activity and harsh treatment designed to scare kids into behaving. Neither one provides long-term solutions for troubled teens. Long-term changes in at-risk teens only come from residential treatment and immersion facilities where professionally trained therapists, teachers and supervisors can guide them into re-establishing good habits and helping them overcome their obstacles.
Massachusetts Regulatory Laws
The Massachusetts Executive Office for Education is responsible for licensing all residential programs for juveniles and children with 24-hour care.
Massachusetts private schools have no requirements for licensing, nor are they required to be accredited. The schools must show they are equal to the public school curriculum to be approved by a local education agency (Mass. Gen. L. Ch. 76, §1). There is no guideline for curriculum for Massachusetts private schools and their teachers do not need to be state certified (Mass. Gen. L. Ch. 76, §1). Criminal history records must be checked for all current or prospective employees of private schools (Mass. Gen. L.ch. 71, §38R).
(U.S. Department of Education, State Regulation of Private Schools, 2009)
Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
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Educational Recources
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Massachusetts Regulatory Laws
The Massachusetts Executive Office for Education is responsible for licensing all residential programs for juveniles and children with 24-hour care.
Massachusetts private schools have no requirements for licensing, nor are they required to be accredited. The schools must show they are equal to the public school curriculum to be approved by a local education agency (Mass. Gen. L. Ch. 76, §1). There is no guideline for curriculum for Massachusetts private schools and their teachers do not need to be state certified (Mass. Gen. L. Ch. 76, §1). Criminal history records must be checked for all current or prospective employees of private schools (Mass. Gen. L.ch. 71, §38R).
(U.S. Department of Education, State Regulation of Private Schools, 2009)
Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
Educational Recources
Statistics for At-Risk Massachusetts Teens
ADD/ADHD
- 10.2%
10.2% of Massachusetts children between the ages of 4-17 are diagnosed each year with ADD/ADHD (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, State-based Prevalence of ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment 2016-2019).
TEEN PREGNANCY
- 5.7% per 1,000 female teens
Massachusetts has a rate of 5.7 pregnancies per 1,000 female teens, per a 2021 study by the CDC. (CDC State-by-State Statistics: Teen Births 2021).
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/teen-births/teenbirths.htm
TEEN SUICIDE
604
Massachusetts had 1188 deaths caused by suicide in teens in 2021. (CDC State by State Suicide Rates, 2021)
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
- 10.90%
10.90% of Massachusetts teens report abusing alcohol within the last month, and 11.11% report using illicit drugs such as prescription painkillers and cocaine. (NCDAS, Drug Use Among Youth: Facts & Statistics 2022)
VIOLENT CRIME
2314
Juvenile arrests in Massachusetts for 2021 included 66 juvenile arrests for aggravated assault, 16 for robbery, 79 arrests for theft, 24 arrests for drug abuse, and 13 arrests for weapons violations. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2021 Statistics).
https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/qa05103.asp?qaDate=2018&text=yes
GRADUATION RATES
- 89%
For the 2020-2021 school year, Massachusetts reported an 89% high school graduation rate. (National Center for Education Statistics 2021)
https://www.governing.com/gov-data/high-school-graduation-rates-by-state.html
Summary
We Can Help!
Military schools and boot camps are not the solution for at-risk teens, but HelpYourTeenNow can guide you to therapeutic programs that will really make a difference. With a free consultation at your convenience, HelpYourTeenNow can assess your family’s issues and recommend a program that we know has a good success rate. Because we’re a group of parents, we know from experience what kinds of residential treatment programs have the best chance of working in the long run. You’ll gain peace of mind after talking to us in knowing you are doing the right thing for your troubled teen.