The San Diego Channel
September 16, 2004
SAN DIEGO -- The head of a boarding school in Baja is responding to allegations of abuse at the school, 10News reported.
Mexican agents shut down three Baja boarding schools, sending hundreds of American teens to a hotel in Mission Valley to await their parents.
Mexican officials reported physical and emotional abuse at Casa by the Sea near Ensenada.
Some former students aren't surprised by the accusations, while others strongly doubt them.
Former student Ryan Calburn said, "When I was there, some guy got slammed against the wall."
However, former student Ariel Mittleman said she never saw any abuse.
"Nobody was ever physically abused there. Nobody was ever neglected there," Mittleman said.
The director of the schools, Luke Hallows, said students do have to be restrained sometimes, but the school follows strict guidelines.
