'I left that place, but that place never left me:' Utah 'troubled teen' boarding school shuts down
UTAH - An ex-student of a "troubled teen" therapeutic boarding school where a Snohomish County girl died says she feels lucky she got away from Diamond Ranch Academy alive.
The Utah-based school officially closed its doors on Monday, following the state’s decision last month not to renew the school’s license. The official letter of denial, obtained by FOX 13, made multiple references to how staff neglected to treat Taylor Goodridge, even as her body went into septic shock.
The 17-year-old Snohomish County girl died on the Diamond Ranch Academy campus in December 2022 after complaining for weeks of stomach pain and vomiting. Autopsy results showed Goodridge died in agony, as staff allegedly told her to 'suck it up' as her symptoms became worse.
Shay Penn of Auburn was also a student there, beginning in the fall of 2015. She says she’s happy for the measure of accountability obtained by Goodridge’s family, but she claims what happened to their daughter wasn’t an isolated incident.
"Having the doors closed at Diamond Ranch Academy, it was like an enormous win for Taylor’s family and the survivors who have been to the school, too," Penn said. "But yeah, the conversation is far from over."
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Penn is suing the Utah-based school for negligence, assault and battery. She says she suffers from permanent nerve damage done to her face, which she claims was a punishment inflicted on her by school staff. Penn says she was assaulted at the school on Dec. 20, 2015 after she had an argument with a staff member. She said she was taken into another room where as many as four other workers were waiting.
"As I entered, my legs were like taken [out] from underneath me," Penn remembers. "I just hit the floor and then they were on top of me like immediately."
Another student, Caitlin Char, was there when it happened.
"I don't remember what it was about, but it definitely wasn't anything major," Char said. "They dragged her down the hall into a backroom. I remember her screaming, ‘I can't breathe!’ And the staff member said, ‘If you can talk, you can breathe’ and then continued to restrain her."
Penn and Char both say staff often used "targeted pressure," a technique common to law enforcement, to keep students restrained. But in her lawsuit Penn says after she was pinned down, a staffer started to dig their fist into the side of her face.
"They were more aggressive and used more strength and more power," Penn said. She estimates they held her down like that, fist-to-face and face-to-floor, for 25 minutes.
When they finally let her get up off the floor, Penn says staffers repeatedly told her to "wipe that look off her face." She didn’t know what they meant until the next day.
"The next morning I woke up and looked at my reflection," Penn said. "And when I blinked, one eye still stayed open and I couldn't smile or move half of my face."
A staff doctor eventually examined her, noting her bruises and swollen face. The treatment, according to the medical report: "Student was given ibuprofen and has been resting in sick bay." Penn remembers having to care for herself and her disfigurement.
"I couldn't close my eyes. So I taped them and I couldn't smile and I couldn't move my face at all," Penn said. "I looked completely different after that for a while."
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For the next several months, pictures show Penn hiding her face. Although she’s regained some feeling and movement, Penn says her spirit will never fully heal.
"I left that place, but that place never left me," Penn said.
She continues to press ahead with her lawsuit, seeking unspecified damages for her physical and emotional trauma.
FOX 13 reached out to Diamond Ranch Academy for comment on Penn’s case and in a statement, school officials said:
"D.R.A. cannot comment due to privacy laws and other concerns regarding confidentiality. D.R.A. will defend the actions through the court process."
Penn’s lawsuit won’t go to trial until sometime next year. In the meantime, Penn is calling for new legislation to regulate schools like Diamond Ranch Academy in hopes that her pain can serve a bigger purpose.
"I was there like years ago, and every day it still affects my life," she said. "If starting a conversation and talking about it can save another person from experiencing that or save another family, it’s worth it."