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Thayer Learning Center - General Information

Thayer Learning Center is located in Kidder, Missouri - population 271.

At the present time, the state of Missouri does not regulate or license private juvenile facilities in any way.

Thayer operates 2 programs from the same facility - a year-round "boarding school" and a short-term boot camp commonly called TLC Boot Camp.

The facility is owned/operated by John and Willa Bundy.

In November 2004, 15 year-old Roberto Reyes died at Thayer Learning Center.

Former students who attended Thayer with Roberto say he showed signs of severe illness for several days, but was ignored and possibly abused by staff members.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Roberto's parents alleges abuse, neglect, and fraud by Thayer Learning Center and its employees.

Willa Bundy has made claims of having "30 years experience" when speaking to parents and when posting to internet bulletin boards.

According to former staff members, Willa is approximately 44 years old.

Neither of the Bundy's have any credentials or certifications that we are aware of.

John Bundy is thought to be a former employee of Teen Help/WWASPS (World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools). Click here for more information about Teen Help and WWASPS

Willa Bundy is the former owner/director of Linden House, a WWASPS-affiliated boarding school specifically for pregnant teens that is no longer operating.

During ISAC's investigation into WWASP, we determined that the "school" was in fact a very small home in a residential neighborhood.

Parent Help/Parent Help Center, which refers children to Thayer and is also owned by John Bundy, was located St. George, Utah.

The office was in the same complex as Teen Help/WWASPS.

Information obtained by ISAC indicates that Parent Help was recently moved to Gallatin, Missouri.

Parents admitting their child to Thayer via Parent Help and looking for paid teen escorts are referred to Teen Transport, LLC.

This company may be owned by John Bundy.

2 of the Bundy's children, Isaac and Allison, are principals of Teen Transport, LLC.

Internet Presence

Thayer Learning Center and/or TLC Boot Camp have been promoted on at least 9 internet websites:

www.teenprogram.info

www.teen-bootcamp.com

www.tlcprogram.com

www.tlcbootcamp.com

www.troubledteen.com

www.wesaveteens.com

www.militaryschools.us

www.defiantteenager.com

www.parenthelpcenter.org

EACH of these web sites is owned by John Bundy.

A disclaimer on www.teen-bootcamp.com states, "Parent Help does not own or is not owned by the boot camps and other programs."

While the company Parent Help may not own Thayer Learning Center, Parent Help and Thayer are both owned by the Bundys.

Because of this fact, it is ISAC's opinion that the disclaimer is intentionally misleading.

www.tlcprogram.com contains information and a diagram describing the "Grise'l Method" of juvenile behavior modification.

According to former employees, "Grisel" is the maiden name of Willa Bundy.

Complaints to Date

ISAC has received complaints from several former students, parents of former students, and employees of Thayer Learning Center as well as a family who toured the facility and decided not to enroll their child.

Former students, parents of former students, and employees have made the following allegations against Thayer Learning Center and its staff:

A *Hindu child was forced to eat meat, then vomited.

She was then forced to eat her own vomit.

Why Hindus do not eat meat

One child currently in Thayer is suffering from some type of kidney disorder, and the "nurse" at Thayer is in fact a high-school dropout who also runs the kitchen.

Boys are forced to share razors instead of being given the ones purchased by parents.

Some children spend 30 days or more in solitary confinement.

An emergency room physician prescribed bedrest and antibiotics for a child with an ear infection.

Back at Thayer Learning Center, the child was forced to exercise and sleep on the concrete floor.

Thayer staff members told the parents that there was "a little bit of drainage" coming from the child's ear, when in fact, the child's ear was bleeding.

Two children were reportedly "restrained" with zip-ties around their ankles and wrists.

One child was attached to a file cabinet.

Male children have been stripped to their underwear, "hog-tied," and sprayed with a hose.

Children are forced to "re-write" letters to parents, until the letters contain nothing negative about the program.

Athlete's foot and other fungal infections are widespread and go untreated.

Willa Bundy reportedly denied medical care for a child who had the flu and was constantly vomiting.

According to former staff members, Willa Bundy diagnosed the vomiting as "a ploy to go home."

When asbestos was found in an old building on the Thayer compound, the Bundys refused to hire trained asbestos removal contractors.

Instead, students were forced to remove the hazardous removal and instructed to put the asbestos in a pile outside.

Thayer was fined by the Department of Natural Resources for the improper disposal.

A child reportedly arrived at Thayer in a nearly comatose condition. The teen transport personnel stated that they had administered prescription muscle relaxants to the child to prevent "problems" during transport.

Willa Bundy was informed of the child's condition and denied requests for medical attention. She reportedly instructed staff members to put the child in bed until the medication wore off.

After several children collapsed from heat exhaustion and dehydration, the "drill sergeants" at Thayer began forcing children to drink large quantities of water.

Requests to use the bathroom are subsequently denied leaving teens with no option except to urinate on themselves.

During a one year period, group therapy occurred just once - at 10 PM and was led by Willa Bundy.

One child refused to exercise and was allegedly pulled around by the hair, arm and clothing by John Bundy.

All calls from children to parents are monitored and children are punished for saying anything against the program.
John Bundy allegedly forced female students to exercise outside in the snow without shoes.

One child was allegedly roped to a 4 wheel all terrain vehicle (ATV) and instructed to "keep up."

Willa and John Bundy are reportedly gone for extended periods of time and leave their 17 year old daughter in charge of the facility.

A male staff member distributed illegal drugs to at least one female student.

As punishment, two children were reportedly bound together with duct-tape and left that way overnight.

Before announced visits by the Department of Social Services, Willa Bundy allegedly takes "problem" students out for ice cream or to Wal-Mart.

In one building on the property, 26 female children share 1 bathroom and are given just 30 seconds to get ready for bed at night.

There are frequent outbreaks of head lice.

Part of the "fitness training" at Thayer reportedly involves students being forced to run while carrying 5-gallon buckets full of sand.

Students are awakened in the middle of the night and forced to exercise.

Children who are not physically fit are required to perform strenuous activities, including 6-mile runs.

Students have suffered serious injuries and were denied medical attention.

Parents were not notified of their child's condition.

The facility reportedly has no certified teachers. Classes are "taught" via videotape.

Level 1 boot camp students sleep on a concrete floor in a basement.

Since the death of Roberto Reyes, ISAC has received the following complaints against Thayer Learning Center:

Students who were at the facility when Roberto died have reported that there is NO sick bay at Thayer and Roberto lay ill and dying in the isolation room.

As punishment for saying 4-letter words, including the word "can't", children are made to brush their teeth for 4 hours, causing the gums to bleed and the enamel to be removed from the teeth.

One parent who attempted to remove her child from Thayer was reportedly refused access to the property and told to "make an appointment" to tour the facility, at which time she could leave with her child.