Mountain Park Survivors

You're interested enough to research the schools. That's a good start. Most people don't even get this far. But now where do you go to uncover the TRUTH??

You won't find the truth on any of the brochures or videos you were given by the school administrators. You probably won't even hear it from the parents they tell you to call for a "reference".

Here is some evidence that we have compiled that uses Mountain Park's own words to show their double standards, maliciousness, and outright lies to parents and students.

The excerpts here were taken from the Mountain Park Parent/Student Handbook, which the students never knew existed, and the Mountain Park Website, which was removed from the internet after they realized their own words could be used to prove their lies.

For the entire handbook in .pdf format, click here.

Keeping Secrets from your child Mountain Park tells parents that keeping secrets with their child from MPBBA staff constitutes grounds for removal of their child. This also includes telling a student when they will be returning home. If a child learns of their departure date they will be removed immediately.
Binding Arbitration-- Mountain Park claims that they do not believe in lawsuits between Christians. They claim that it is against Scripture. Then, why in 1987did the same people file a $44 million lawsuit against several local officials after they were investigated for child abuse- the main argument being that the state had no jurisdiction over a Christian facility- and name local clergy as defendants???
Mountain Park's "30 Years Experience" Mountain Park's owners have been in business for over thirty years, however Mountain Park hasn't. What they decline to tell parents in their Handbook or Website is that their 30 years of experience includes a shady past in the state of Mississippi, running a facility called Bethesda Home for Girls. They were run out of the state of Mississippi and their home was sealed off by the state after allegations of severe abuse, including slavery, corporal punishment, and incarceration of many pregnant teens.
Censorship-- Mountain Park also claims that, although all mail to and from your child will be read by their staff, that it will NOT be censored in any way. This is an outright lie. We have proof. Click HERE to see copies of letters both going to students and coming from students that were marked with large black marks by MPBBA staff. Censorship also includes punishment, or the threat of punishment, for speaking out.
Death in the Family and Medical Emergencies-- In the event of a family emergency or death in the family, wouldn't you want to be the one to lovingly tell your child the news, and then be allowed to decide whether or not they should return home for the ordeal? Click HERE to see Mountain Park's policy on this.
Curriculum-- When you place your child in a "boarding school" you would usually expect that an education was part of the plan for helping your child mature, right? Well, at Mountain Park, the coursework seems to be just a way to pass the time. If you read their disclaimer on non-accreditation, you will see that while they call themselves a school, their school is not accredited by the state, and many schools will NOT accept the credits your child earns while a "student" there. Why, then, are tuition prices so high if your child may be forced to seek a GED if wishing to attend a college or university?
Quality of Education-- If you'll look at Mountain Park's staff, you will see that the majority are either family members of the founders or simply former students who stayed after graduation- for slaves' wages and no benefits. How can you offer a quality program without qualified leaders? With the amount of tuition paid per year by each family, why do the operators feel they cannot pay trained, qualified staff? Maybe the new homes purchased recently by the school's owners will show their reasoning.
Discipline- Want to know why your children are in trouble daily? So do they! Rules are never written down for students, because they change on the whim of the staff member. If they want a reason to berate or punish a student, unwritten rules give the perfect opportunity.
From their Newsletters
Lack or Denial of Necessary Medical Care Students who have come out of Mountain Park tell of serious medical problems they informed staff members of while at Mountain Park, and were told they were "faking" or were called a "hypochondriac" by the staff and denied medical care. Yet, we see Mountain Park won't hesitate to send Mrs. Wills for pricey shoe inserts after high heels have wrecked her feet.
From the EZBoard online forum
Questions they won't answer
Need more? How about this long list of legitimate questions posed to Sam Gerhardt, current "in command" of Mountain Park, which he has since refused to answer. Instead, he simply claims we are clueless or lying.
Mountain Park vs. Missouri Law
How does the operation of Mountain Park hold up against Missouri Law? Check out these statutes taken from the Missouri Constitution to see how they fail to live up to the State's law.
Parent/Student Handbook Parents were given a copy of all of the rules and regs, but the students never knew these existed!
MP Enrollment Documents Signing your parental rights away?
Most people don't read thoroughly, but their "Limited Power of Attorney" gives them all of the rights over your children that you have.