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No warning: School for special needs kids abruptly closes

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by Amanda Stanzilis, KENS 5

Posted on December 10, 2009 at 10:56 PM

Updated Friday, Dec 11 at 2:49 PM

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Jennifer Schumann got the news when she was picking up her son Dillon, 6, from a class field trip to see Santa. Dillon's school, called Treehouse Pediatrics, was closing its doors for good at the end of the day.

Treehouse Pediatrics is a place that provides both therapy and an education to children with special needs. Dillon is autistic, and so far, he's non-verbal. His mom says since he started at Treehouse, he's made amazing progress.

Schumann said Thursday afternoon, "(Dillon's) teacher showed up and said, 'I don't know if ya'll have heard. ' Heard what? She said 'the clinic is going to close today at 5:00. We're all out of jobs.' What?"

A note attached to the door says the school is closed permanently because of three months of non-payment from Tricare. Tricare is the health insurance program for the military.

A spokesperson from Treehouse issued this statement to KENS 5:

"Everyone at Treehouse is devastated by having had to make this difficult decision. We're doing everything we can to ensure the children and their families get the services they need. We're contacting the families as quickly as possible, and invite the public and the families to check the website for updates as we progress. We're working to take care of the families needs, and will continue to do so to ensure that they're taken care of."

When pushed for more information as to why the parents were not given any warning, the spokesperson said she had no comment.

 

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marfen said on December 10, 2009 at 11:50 PM

And some idiots still want government run healthcare.

elojo said on December 11, 2009 at 3:08 AM

Marci, You and your staff did good for many children. My grandson owes much to you and your staff. He is in public school now, reading books, doing math problems and communicating. Thank you.

fullfactsneeded said on December 11, 2009 at 11:47 AM

1. Tricare is contracted out to private insurers. http://www.humana-military.com/. Humana, who labels themselves "the most trusted name in government health solutions." Marfen, idiocy comes from ignorance of the fact, not platitudes and jingoism derived from talking point memos that rob a person of the ability to become intelligently informed. 2. Special Agents (i.e., law enforcement) don't walk in showing their badges because an insurance provider didn't pay the bill. Either cover the story or don't cover the story, but don't mislead people about the facts.

pleaseexplain said on December 11, 2009 at 1:57 PM

fullfactsneeded, please elaborate

fullfactsneeded said on December 13, 2009 at 8:54 PM

The gentlemen who came in flashing their badges this last week (day before the school shut it's doors permanently) are federal criminal investigators. People who work there know this and yet I don't see anything in the story about their presence. I'd like someone to answer to their seemingly coincidental appearance at the school at the very time that the school is PERMANENTLY closed. I'd like to know why it was decided to abruptly close the school and announce it as PERMANENTLY closed. Not, "suspending operations" or "temporarily" closed. That finality speaks to more than allegations that an insurer has not paid it's bill. The use of the words that it is PERMANENTLY being closed sounds an awful lot like someone knows that this not going to reconcile in favor of the school. It seems rather simplistic to say that the insurer didn't pay the bill for 3 months. Did any parent receive notification that their claim for coverage was denied? Did the school receive denial notifications?

fullfactsneeded said on December 13, 2009 at 8:55 PM

Ms. Stanzilis. Be a journalist and not a parrot. Think and ask the hard questions.