Students:

Please use (573) 856-4216. (Times referenced below are in Central Time.)

Students must speak in English.

Phone Call Hours:

Monday through Friday (except Wednesday) 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

First Phone Call:

Three (3) weeks from entry date.

Subsequent Calls:

Every other week, after the first three week call. The length of time between phone calls may be LONGER than two weeks but not LESS than two weeks. Special services or activities may pre-empt any phone call requiring that it be rescheduled. A visit interrupts the phone call schedule; two weeks must pass for the first year students before a phone call is received after a visit. Parents call in students do not call out, except in an emergency.

Length of Calls:

Ten (10) minutes. A timer is suggested to assist in keeping within this limit. Pay close attention to the ten (10) minute time limit. Many students are awaiting calls. Your attention will allow all to have equal opportunity while showing support of the rules to your child. Both parents may have seven (7) minutes each in case of a broken home, unless court order documents prohibiting contact are provided to MPBBA. Both parents must call on the same day. In the interest of your child, please work together on the phone call schedule.

Birthday Calls:

After the three weeks a student may receive a one minute call on their birthday without interrupting the regular phone call schedule.

BE PREPARED FOR THE FIRST PHONE CALL!

One the first call you may hear, “How could you do this to me? You must come get me! You are ruining my life. I cannot stay here! How long do I have to stay? Etc…”

YOUR RESONSE:

“Dear daughter/son, we called to tell you how much we love you and how much you mean to us. We are not going to discuss this with you. If you continue, we will hang up the phone.”

CHILDS RESONSE:

“You can’t hang up on me!…”

YOUR RESPONSE:

“CLICK!!” Do not debate, explain, or counsel. Simply hang up.

SECOND PHONE CALL:

She/he may try to regroup and try again. “I can’t believe you hang up on me! You must talk to me about this! They tell me I must be here for over a year, maybe even two years! I can’t do this! You’re ruining my life!”

YOUR RESONSE:

“Dear daughter/son, we called to tell you how much we love you and how much you mean to us. We are not going to discuss this with you. If you continue, we will hang up the phone.”

CHILDS RESONSE:

“You can’t hang up on me!…”

YOUR RESPONSE:

“CLICK!!” Do not debate, explain, or counsel. Simply hang up.

THIRD PHONE CALL:

New tactics may be attempted by the third call. Demanding did not work, so conformity may. “Folks, please don’t hang up. I am sorry for the way I behaved before. I know that I have been a disappointment to you. But, really, you will not need to leave me here for a whole year. Can’t we discuss this like adults?”

YOUR RESONSE:

“Dear daughter/son, we called to tell you….”

CHILDS RESPONSE:

“Please talk to me. I’m being nice. At lease you will tell me what you think about it”

YOUR RESPONSE:

“CLICK!!” Do not debate, explain, or counsel, or tell him/her what you think about it. Simply hang up.

Continue this until you have control. It takes two parties to argue/debate. Take control. Do not allow your child to take charge of the conversation. You ask the questions. Answer only the questions you choose, ignore the others. Do not be afraid to say, “ I am not discussing this with you.”

The telephone not only helps put you in control of your child; it also helps re-establish your authority.

When ask, “Why don’t you call me more often?” or “Why do you only talk to me for 10 minutes?”, do not say, “Because it’s the rules of Mountain Park.” It is much better to say “We have decided to call you this often,” or “We have decided to limit your calls to no longer than 10 minutes.” Establish your authority.

Looking at the above “Phone Script” given to parents by MPBBA staff, it is obvious to most that the real manipulation being performed on families is not by the students. The students are not even allowed to speak out against the school when they do have the opportunity to speak to their parents because the parents have been forewarned that the student will “lie” to them, accusing the school of these things. If you are already put into the frame of mind to expect these kinds of statements, what will it take for you to believe your child.

Phone calls were taken on phones inside the dormitories. When a phone call was received, the students were usually there in the dorms and hear every word that is said. This is also true for junior workers and other staff. If a student speaks out against the school on the phone, or if a conversation is being carried on that the school would not approve of for whatever reason, the staff is informed immediately. Students are always berated for private conversations and letters written to their own families when they speak out against the school.

The following was written on 11/6/02 by a former student named Tracy Brazil on a yahoo group for MP Survivors:

Tracey Brazil <t*****@yahoo.com> wrote:

My first letter home I talked about how there were no windows and I wasn't allowed to go outside, and everyone sounded like robots chanting Bible verses in line-up. They made me re-write my letter, and kept me re-writing it until it sounded the way they wanted it too. Like it was a good place and I was just adjusting. Debbie was nice to me too sometimes. In fact I can remember working to hear the slightest kind word from her and thinking it was a privledge to clean her house and not receive any compensation for it.

But that's one of the ways they control us. We become so starved for affection we try to please the very people who are taking it away. Noone is allowed to hug each other without being accused of being a lesbian or show to much affection towards someone without being accused of being in an underground. If we were allowed to make friends we might have started talking, heaven forbid, about our pasts. How do they expect us to work through the problems we had before going there without ever talking about it? When you're there it becomes a dream that you don't wake up from until you leave. What teenager's only enjoyment is a black and white movie with popcorn and candy one night a week?

For more information on this yahoo group, please go to: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/mtparkgroup/

In the Parent Handbook on page 8, it reads:

As a parent, shouldn’t you be the one to determine what is in the best interest of your child? Yet, it is clearly written that Mountain Park is the authority here, even coming between children and parents. I am aware of one case involving a child where a letter was returned to the parent, including an extremely hateful letter from Sam Gerhardt telling this woman that by encouraging her daughter in a loving manner, rather than belittling her for failing a PACE, that she was spoiling and babying the child. After this incident, the woman removed the student from Mountain Park immediately.

Parents are not allowed to show feelings of guilt for sending their child away. Continuing in the Parent Handbook on page 7, it says "This can be shown as an over abundance of mail, packages, or gifts. Students should not receive more than 5 letters in a 2 week period." If you have just sent your own child away, and you miss them, and they miss you, wouldn't you want to write to them and send them things? But if you send too much, you're showing guilt? PARENTS SHOULD FEEL GUILTY FOR KNOWINGLY SENDING THEIR KIDS TO MOUNTAIN PARK!!!!

Censorship includes the fear of punishment or ridicule for speaking one’s opinions or for speaking the truth. I can remember as a student many times seeing Betty Wills or Debby Gerhardt standing up in front of the other students with letters written home and reading them aloud, stopping in places for a round of laughter from the students when a girl wrote home telling how much she hated being in the school. This is censorship in the worst way. Attached you will see proof of incoming mail censorship in a letter and card received from a boy’s pastor.