I attended Coral Reef Academy. Coral Reef Academy is a corrupt “therapeutic” environment where kids are beaten in “restraints” and kept in solitary confinement for weeks and months at a time for breaking rules. A good majority of the staff are tattooed and gang affiliated Samoan ex convicts who were deported from California or Utah to get reduced prison sentences for violent crimes. The case managers and therapists lie and manipulate parents on a consistent basis about their child’s well being. Because the remote island is located on the other side of the planet, parents have no way to tell. The campus is filled with substances dealt by therapists and staff in exchange for clothes and wired money. Human rights are non existent at Coral Reef. Because you are not an adult at age 18 like you are in the United States, you are held captive until you graduate, get pulled by your parents, or age out at 21. Passports are kept locked in a safe at the front office. Due to its location, the “school” is not ever looked at by investigators or educational consultants. Currently, the clinical director, named Michael Geffney is in charge. He verbally abuses students and has now added even tighter restrictions to any sort of freedom students had. Most students either get fed up with the lack of their rights and the way they are treated and do not cooperate or they fake the program the best they can. The food is extremely unhealthy and due to lack of exercise the students gain weight and become unhealthy in general. School is from hours 9:00 to 2:30 and includes sitting at cubicle desks without a teacher leaving you with a poor education. “Activities” off campus are granted when you do not have a made-up consequence and are extremely restricted with staff not letting you out of sight. The program has an implemented system called Bus Barn (recently changed to “reflection) in which the student occupies a room with only a bed all day long for weeks to months at a time. Food is brought to your cell and you can earn a 1 hour exercise period with a staff member. Below is a list of names, ranks, and review of a few staff.

Rodney Rice- owner of coral reef acedemy. Rodney lives in Las Vegas and rarely comes to samoa to observe his facility. Not that he would change anything if there were worse things going on however.

Michael Geffney- clinical director. This man is a power tripping belligerent asshole who spends his time trying to aggravate kids who are fed up with his power tripping.

Ben Toilolo- -residential case manager. Ben spents 16 years in prison for kidnap for ransom. He has killed people and often tells tales of such.

Illia – residential case manager. He spent 4 years in federal prison for a counterfeit and methamphetamine organized business. He is an angry man who often swears at kids. He has once told a story of cutting a mans finger off.

Fa’gai (goes by E)- E spent apx 10 years in prison for attempted murder. He is very manipulative and has been known to threaten people time to time.

Tasha Toilolo. Tasha is a therapist who moved to samoa from utah. She began a relationship with Ben and was having sex with him often at the therapists home. Another therapist knew of this but would not tell on him because Ben knew this therapist was dealing drugs to the students.

Overall, this program is a terrible place for anyone to be. I would go in to more detail about staff and conditions but i think this is enough. Please, if you are a parent reading this, do not put your child through this. Thank you.