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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Sally Ho

Despite scrutiny, special education money flows to for-profit residential treatment centers

Adopted Locked Away Money - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Across the country, many for-profit residential facilities in the so-called troubled teen industry that claim to treat severe mental and behavioral health issues in children and teens are deftly tapping into taxpayer money meant for students with disabilities.

Even in the face of increasing scrutiny over the safety of such private institutions, this money continues to flow given the fractured bureaucracy of the special education system, an Associated Press investigation finds.

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