|
ARTICLES RE ELISA'S DEATH
(click
here)
BREAKING NEWS - ANOTHER CHILD DIES:
Video
◄
Elisa D. Santry died in Outward Bound
program
(click
here)◄ NEW
▪
Her mom feared for her daughter's safety
and did not want
her to go - Others convinced her Elisa would be safe
▪ Elisa was hiking with other
teenagers in 110 degree heat
▪
She was separated from the group for
about 10 hours
▪
She was found dead and alone in a side
canyon at 11 p.m.
▪
Why? Her family deserves an
answer. (click
here)
This is not
the first Outward Bound death:
▪
One month earlier
Dillon Peak
died at an Outward Bound's Peace River program in DeSoto
▪
Outward Bound contracted with the state
of Florida to provide this program for teen offenders
▪
14-year old Dillon became ill and
allegedly did not receive proper medical attention
▪
The average stay at this program is six
months.
(click
here)
The State of Utah has
regulations in place that prohibit programs for troubled
youth from allowing children to:
Children like Elisa
deserve, at minimum, the same protection as troubled youth placed
into programs in Utah
16-year old
Elisa Santry was on her 16th day of a three-week Outward Bound
program when she was separated from a group of
about five girls who were headed to the Colorado river. When counselors
discovered she had been missing for about five hours, they began
their own search. Earlier that day outside help was summoned for a
girl who had hurt her ankle.
But outside help was not summoned
when it was discovered Elisa had been missing for about 5 hours,
even though she had complained of not feeling well that morning. Her
mother believes she should never have been allowed to hike under
those conditions - I agree with her. Rather, they conducted their
own search that ended at 11:00 p.m. - a search with the worse
possible ending.
Elisa was found dead -
alone - on the side of a canyon 10 hours after anyone had seen her.
There are many unanswered questions.
Though hiking in temperatures above 90 degrees and allowing children
to travel alone goes against Utah's state regulations for wilderness
programs for troubled youth, Ken Stettler, director of the Office of
Licensing for the Utah Department of Human Services, has indicated
those regulations do not apply to Outward Bound Wilderness because
it is a voluntary program open to all youth. He said, ``All we can do is regulate the youth
treatment programs, not the recreation programs. Otherwise, we would
have been on those guys before," he said, referring to Outward Bound
Wilderness. (Click
here)
I believe we need to speak out to be sure this does not happen
again. Why should Outward Bound escape regulations in place to
protect children just because children go there voluntarily? In my
opinion these regulations need to be changed to include
organizations like Outward Bound who come into their state -
children like Elisa deserve, at minimum, the same protection
troubled youth receive when they are placed into programs in Utah.
We will never be able to bring Elisa
back, but it is our hope that her death will not have been in vain
and that something will be done to see that this does not happen
again and that justice is served.
The temperatures that day reached 110 degrees. The family
is asking questions that need to be answered.
|
