Call for help now 
Military Schools and Boot Camps in Virginia
When your teen is showing signs of at risk behavior, you may think that a few weeks at an intensive behavior boot camp is the fast and easy answer. However, boot camps and military schools are only one part of a range of teen help programs available to help at-risk youth. At HelpYourTeenNow, we’ve guided parents across the country through the difficult process of identifying and enrolling their troubled teen into residential programs that best fit their needs.
Get the details to learn if a military school for troublesome teenagers is the best program for your child or call Help Your Teen Now at 1-800-901-7347.
Military Schools and Boot Camps Aren’t the Best Option for Troubled Teens
Discipline and respect—that’s what parents are hoping their children will learn when they start searching for military schools and boot camps. However, you should know that privately-run boot camps for at-risk teens only last for a short time, generally 1 to 3 months. They are not equipped to treat a teen’s underlying issues that are causing the behaviors. Military schools are academic institutions that do not handle troubled teens. There are plenty of rehabilitation and therapeutic programs for troubled teens that offer strict structure, professional therapy and round-the-clock supervision. Unlike boot camps, these programs use a more gentle approach with a goal of long-term change.
Virginia Regulatory Laws
The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services regulates all residential facilities that serve juveniles, including military schools, wilderness camps, therapeutic boarding schools and other programs. It provides licenses to the facilities after ensuring they meet minimum state standards.
Virginia private schools don’t have to be licensed by the state, nor do they need to be accredited to operate (Va. Code §22.1-19). State certification is also not required for private school teachers. Schools may set their own curriculum and not worry about any oversight by the state board of education. Each student must have proof of immunization (Va. Code §22.1-271.2.E). Every employee at an accredited private school must undergo a criminal background check. Non-accredited schools do not meet this criteria, (Va. Code §22.1-296.3).
(U.S. Department of Education, State Regulation of Private Schools, 2009)
Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
11.8 percent of children between 4 and 17 diagnosed per year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011 Study). https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/prevalence.html
In a 2016 report, 4,159 babies were born to teens under the age of 19. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 2016 Study). https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/facts-and-stats/national-and-state-data-sheets/adolescent-reproductive-health/virginia/index.html
National suicide ranking: 35th in the country (CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2018) https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/population-health/us-states-ranked-by-suicide-rate.html
A 2017 report from the CDC showed that 24% of Virginia teens abuse alcohol and 12% are binge drinking. Cocaine use in Virginia teens was 4% (CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2017.) https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/facts-and-stats/national-and-state-data-sheets/adolescents-and-substance-abuse/virginia/index.html
Juvenile arrests in Virginia for 2018 included: 34 arrests for aggravated assault, 40 arrests for robbery, 367 arrests for larceny, 261 arrests for drug abuse and 36 arrests for weapons violations. (Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2018) https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/qa05103.asp?qaDate=2018&text=yes
For the 2014-2015 school year, Virginia had an 85.7% high school graduation rate. (U.S. Department of Education, Graduation Rates 2014-2015) https://www.governing.com/gov-data/high-school-graduation-rates-by-state.html
Summary
If your teen is suffering from depression, self-harm, low self-esteem, learning disabilities, anxiety and other similar behavior, HelpYourTeenNow can guide you to programs designed specifically to deal with these issues, run by qualified professionals. Our free consultation will help steer you toward reputable programs with a track record of success, not private boot camps where licensing and regulations are optional and methods of treatment are not proven to work. HelpYourTeenNow is a parent advocate group with one goal—to help parents benefit from our years of experience and the lessons we’ve learned in dealing with our own troubled teens. Call for an assessment and support when you are ready to step in and help your child.
Leave a Reply