Excel Academy was a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

located in

Conroe, Texas Conroe is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Texas, Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about north of Houston. It is a principal city in the metropolitan area. As of 2024, the population was 114,581. Since 2007, t ...

, established circa 1998 and operated by the

Aspen Education Group Aspen Education Group is an American company that provides controversial Health intervention, therapeutic interventions for adolescents and young adults, including wilderness therapy programs, residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding ...

beginning in 2001. Excel Academy was

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

. The school enrolled adolescents with behavioral issues and provided a

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily design ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

curriculum and treatment based on the 12-step philosophy.The New EXCEL Academy of Texas
press release by Don Vardell, published in Woodbury Reports, Inc., February 6, 2008 Beginning with the 2007–2008 school year, Excel limited new enrollment to students with no history of

conduct disorder Conduct disorder (CD) is a mental disorder diagnosed in childhood or adolescence that presents itself through a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that includes theft, lies, physical violence that may lead to destruction, and reck ...

s and whose history included substance abuse as a primary issue. The school had required some students to wear orange

jumpsuit A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachutists. The original skydivers' jumpsuits were ...

s, but the practice was discontinued in the 2007–2008 school year. In January 2008 a

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Montg ...

sheriff's deputy who had been

moonlighting Moonlighting may refer to: * Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment Entertainment * ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski * ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...

at Excel Academy was fired by the county and

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an indi ...

on charges of official oppression and unlawful restraint after an incident in which he was alleged to have thrown a male student to the ground,

handcuff Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet t ...

ed him, and taken him to the county jail. At the jail, inmates reportedly undressed the boy and applied

Vaseline Vaseline ()Also pronounced with the main stress on the last syllable . is an American brand of petroleum jelly-based products owned by British multinational company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, ...

to his back. In April 2009 the policeman was sentenced to 30 days in jail and one year of deferred adjudication. Ex-officer sentenced for official oppression
By Lucretia Cardenas, Conroe Courier News, April 27, 2009

References

External links

* Defunct schools in Texas Bain Capital companies Private boarding schools in Texas Special schools in Texas Educational institutions disestablished in 2008 Buildings and structures in Montgomery County, Texas Conroe, Texas {{Texas-school-stub