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| Formation | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Robert Lichfield |
| Founded at | La Verkin, Utah, US |
The World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS or WWASP) was an organization based in Utah, in the United States. WWASPS was founded by Robert Lichfield and was incorporated in 1998. WWASPS stated that it was an umbrella organization of independent institutions for education and treatment of troubled teenagers. Many outside observers believe, however, that the WWASPS-affiliated institutions were actually owned through limited partnerships, many of which have used the same street address by WWASPS or its principal officials or their close relatives.[1][2][3] WWASPS is connected to several affiliated for-profit companies. These include Teen Help LLC, the marketing arm of WWASPS and the entity that processes admissions paperwork; Teen Escort Service, a teen escort company that transports teenagers to WWASPS facilities; R&B Billing, which does tuition billing and payment processing;[4] and Premier Educational Systems, LLC (also called Premier Educational Seminars), which conducts orientation and training workshops for parents whose children are in WWASPS facilities.[5] WWASPS claims to have "helped" over 10,000 students with issues related to personal behavior.[6] Some participants and parents give positive reports of their experiences, but others say that WWASPS programs were abusive.[2] WWASPS has faced widespread allegations of physical and psychological abuse of the teenagers sent into its programs,[2] resulting in a lawsuit filed against the organization in 2006.[7] WWASPS officials report that the organization is no longer in business, and the facilities originally under it no longer associate with the name, but because of ongoing litigation, it has not been dissolved.[8]
- ^ See Investigation shows troubled school may be buying interest with lawmakers[dead link] (Associated Press, September 20, 2004), Utah-based school owner banned (Deseret News, July 6, 2003), and Former student alleges months of abuse Archived 2007-04-08 at the Wayback Machine (John Sullivan, Columbia Daily Tribune, April 15, 2005.)
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
weinerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Maia Szalavitz, The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs, Reason, January 2007
- ^ John-Thor Dahlburg, Key to His Schools' Success? It's God, Founder Says Archived 2007-10-08 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2003
- ^ See "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-02-26. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "WWASPS Rebuttal website". Archived from the original on 2018-08-05. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
- ^ Troubled Teen Programs - 25 Plaintiffs Join in Lawsuit Against WWASPS, Cross Creek Manor, Robert Lichfield, and Associates – More Expected to Join In, press release by Coalition Against Institutionalized Child Abuse, Webwire, October 16, 2006
- ^ Kirk Brown, Abbeville school had role in rise and fall of enterprise for serving troubled teens Archived 2013-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, Anderson (South Carolina) Independent Mail, December 17, 2010
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