Families Sue Missouri Residential Treatment Center Over Alleged Abuse

Fifteen families, including Taylor Kiesel and her mother Rachelle, filed civil lawsuits against Change Academy Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. The complaints allege negligent infliction of emotional distress and battery. Taylor Kiesel, now 20, says she has not slept through the night in three years and wakes up screaming.

She attributes her ongoing distress to her time at the facility rather than to prior mental health treatment. CALO declined an interview but stated in writing that the lawsuits are without merit and denied all allegations of abuse, neglect, and battery.

Police records show more than 400 calls to the county sheriff's office linked to CALO over the past decade. Incident reports describe a 12-year-old convulsing after swallowing an object, a 15-year-old cutting her arm with broken toilet pieces, and residents stabbing staff with wooden shards.

Missouri's Department of Social Services reported five findings of physical abuse and five findings of sexual abuse involving CALO over the last 20 years. At least four former staff members were convicted of crimes committed while employed there, including sexual assault of residents and possession of child pornography.

CALO said each employee passed background checks, that incidents were reported to the state, and that the convicted staff were placed on leave and terminated.

Taylor's placement was funded in part by her Washington state school district under an Individualized Education Program. Federal law allows such placements across state lines for students with special needs. There is no federal minimum standard of care for youth residential treatment programs.

Oversight rests with individual states. A 2024 Senate Finance Committee investigation examined similar programs but did not include CALO. Sen. Jeff Merkley said a bill he authored passed in 2024 directing the Department of Health and Human Services to study the programs.

The study is expected by mid-2027. One family reported spending nearly $500,000 over two years on residential treatment, with insurance and school reimbursements covering about one-third of the cost.