My experience at Victory Christian Academy is one that many girls share with me. I was sent to VCA in 1994 for being a "problem teen". I was there for a little over a year. I did not use drugs, drink, or disrespect my parents. I had a crush on an older guy in my neighborhood and my overly-zealous parents thought I was hell-bound. My parents found the school through a friend of the family, which is how this school is typically found. (There are no advertisements or marketing in regards to this school.) VCA was run, and still is, by Michael Palmer and his wife Patty. It is an all-girls fundamental southern Baptist boarding school.
Parents are lead to believe that their child will receive counseling, an education and learn to be a "proper lady". Nothing could be farther from the truth. Girls as young as 11 are stripped of all of their belongings, self-worth and dignity at VCA. I was forced to eat/drink several meals that were blended into a shake because I was scared to death and had no appetite for my first few days at the school. Letters home from the girls are read before they are sent out by the staff to assure that nothing that is going on at the school is reported to parents.
The cost of the school is on a sliding scale and because my parents are well-off, the cost was 4k a month for my tuition (and that was over TEN years ago... You do the math). The girls at the school are nothing more than cheap labor. We were fed HORRIBLE food that we were forced to eat. Some girls slept on the floor for months due to lack of beds. We took care of all of the laundry, food preparation, yard work and even construction on the buildings. Here is a newspaper clip about one fatal incident:
The Los Angeles Times
September 25,1988
A 15-year-old Hesperia girl died Friday after a stack of lumber fell on her at the Victory Christian Academy in Ramona.
Carey Dunn, a student at the school, suffered severe head injuries in the accident, which occurred while she was helping staff members in a construction project.
She was taken by Life Flight helicopter to Palomar Memorial Hospital in Escondido, where she died.
Michael Palmer has several court cases and allegations that are closed and/or pending (yet the school is still open). They are all legitimate and verifiable. Palmer also ran a school in Southern Califonia back in the 80's that was shut down by officials and he was forced to take his school out of the state, due to many reasons. This is also documented in court files.
The list of the horrible experiences that happened at VCA is a very long one. This posting is just to help get the word out to any parent out there that is thinking about sending their girl to Victory Christian Academy. Please do some research first and know that former students ARE NOT exagerating. This school has also changed it's name several times, DO NOT BE FOOLED. Please get your daughter the help she really needs, she WILL come out of VCA a lot more damaged than when she went in.
If you need help locating any of the documentation about VCA, please contact me or any former student that is willing to talk.
0 comments