The Mississippi attorney general's office and the owner of the Bethel Girls Academy in Petal are in negotiations designed to change how the school operates, officials say.
"We are trying to arrive at an agreement whereby certain things will be corrected at the school for the betterment of the kids," Special Assistant Attorney General Earl Scales said Wednesday.
Scales said the Department of Health and Department of Human Services also are involved in the talks with Herman Fountain Jr., the academy's director.
State officials removed 38 girls from the Bethel Girls Academy on May 19 after receiving complaints the girls had been mistreated. The academy has been under investigation since the removal of the girls, although no charges have been filed by the three state agencies involved.
Fountain said Wednesday that he accepted some of the state's requests and dismissed others.
"We gave them our response to the conditions," Fountain said. "Some things we need to change would help the home in the process of dealing with the girls. Some was nonsense and we had to eliminate some of that. We had to put in our input to help the girls with self-motivation."
Scales said the negotiations are working to correct state agencies' concerns about the academy and its operating procedures.
"We are willing to work with them," Fountain said.
