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Wordsworth Academy To Cease Operations After Teen's Death At Facility

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- On Monday, a spokesperson for the Wordsworth Academy in Philadelphia announced that the facility is ceasing operations. The move was announced following notification to Wordsworth from the PA Department of Human Services' Bureau of Human Service Licensing.

On the night of Thursday, October 13, officers responded to a call from the residential treatment program, which serves juveniles with behavioral health issues, and arrived to find a 17-year-old boy, unresponsive on the floor. He was pronounced dead at 9:36 p.m.

Wordsworth Academy Parents React To Death Of Teen At Facility

Detectives say the boy tried barricading himself in his room. Staff put him in a headlock while restraining him and he hit his head.

"We plan to use this time to improve our Residential Treatment program by enhancing operations, staff training, and our residential facility," a spokesperson told Eyewitness News.

The program currently serves 90 children, ranging from ages 10-21. All of the residents are being taken to other facilities.

 

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