“Temporarily closed” is the message that appears when one searches for the Foothills Academy, Inc. on Google. Navigating to the Foothills Academy website presents a 404 page not found error. No official response, however, from either state officials or Foothills Academy officials have been released since that posting.
Foothills Academy has been a licensed residential home for young men since 2002, with a capacity to house up to 72 residents.
The Foothills Academy School is a public school in Albany that is part of the Clinton County School District and once served up to 84 students in grades 6 through 12, according to information listed on their web page.
The facility was first brought to Clinton County in the late 1990s and was aided in funding when the county was declared an “Empowerment Zone” area. EZ funds were used to help begin the facility.
The “temporary” closing of the treatment facility for teenage male youth apparently began in late January, following some hazardous incidents that occurred at the facility and heavy damage being done as a result.
Although the facility is listed as temporarily closed, apparently no official information has been given to local officials, including the Clinton County Judge/Executive’s Office.
The Clinton County News contacted Foothills Academy via phone last Friday afternoon seeking a information and was told that someone would return the call. However, no response has been received.
However, Clinton County Sheriff Ricky Marcum and Judge/Executive Ricky Craig did agree to discuss the situation late last week.
Sheriff Marcum said he had been at a meeting at the Academy a few days earlier and said the (school) administration had pulled its staff out of the facility. He further said he was told by an official from the Department of Children’s Services that the remaining teenagers would be moving out because they could not operate the facility as it has been running.
After the meeting, the sheriff said, they were moving out of the facility and there was no more (school) staff there. He said that former interim superintendent Boyd Randolph had indicated he would not allow school staff to be at the facility under apparent ly dangerous conditions.
Sheriff Marcum said a search of the ditch line area around the Foothills property had revealed “homemade weapons” such as spears made from forks, being found. He also revealed a photograph of the contraband confiscated on the property.
“The sheriff’s office responds continually (to the academy),” Marcum said. “I’m all for the rehabilitation of kids, but we spend hours at a time putting sheriff’s deputies and the community in harm’s way. I can’t see the use in that,” he continued.
Both the sheriff and Judge Craig concurred the problems there have been going on for years.
Sheriff Marcum said the clients there had forced their way into rooms, put holes in the walls and destroyed a lot of property, including computers, smart boards, monitors, Chromebooks and had taken a fire extinguisher and sprayed it through the facility, causing further damage.
The sheriff also mentioned a recent incident where a they got a 911 call from a staff member at the facility who was in fear for their life.
He noted in that incident, which was on a winter night with hazardous road conditions, the SO was assisted by the Albany Police Department and Kentucky State Police Post 15 Troopers also came to assist. “The sheriff’s office already has enough stuff to do,” he said.
The sheriff said the Chief Executive of Foothills Academy had been shown the damage.
The sheriff added that he still had open investigations on four juveniles from the facility who are suspected of felonies.
“We don’t want no one to lose their job, but we want people to know they will be safer and not suffer from fear,” Sheriff Marcum said.
One of the ongoing concerns, especially among residents who live in or near the community where the facility is located, is continual escapes of the teenage boys.
“We spend up to a third or half of a night searching fields, using fuel, etc. during one shift when there is an escape,” the sheriff continued.
Sheriff Marcum estimated his office gets three or four calls a week to respond to incidents there, and at least a dozen calls over the past month for either help or notification there had been an escape.
During the interview last Thursday, February 1, Judge/Executive Craig said he had not received any official word from Foothills Academy officials about the status of the facility. He added the damage done to the facility affects the schools and the school tax dollars.
The judge also noted some instances, including damage done in the area, due to the clients escaping, saying some people were fearful.
“The facility has been somewhat a plague for us,” the judge said.
Clinton County Schools Superintendent Wayne Ackerman, who somewhat stepped into the situation blindly, having only begun his duties on February 1, did confirm the school staff was pulled from the facility earlier.
Ackerman said two of the total seven school district staff members were still at the facility helping to clean up and assess the damage to the equipment, and gather what was salvageable for insurance purposes.
The school system, according to the superintendent, had a total of five certified staff members, one classified employee and the school’s principal.
Ackerman noted that all school employees will be placed back in the school system to teach students, but would return to Foothills Academy when, or if, they reopen.
No further information pertaining to the temporary closing of Foothills Academy was available as of press time Tuesday morning, February 6.