The Tipton Academy, contrary to a popular rumor, has not been shut down – yet. The end appears to be near however judging from a video that was posted on You Tube today. It shows several young men unfurling a Tipton Academy banner on a sidewalk, dousing it with gasoline and then lighting it on fire.

The video, entitled – We Celebrate the Closing of the Tipton Academy with a Good Ol’ Banner Burning, runs about a minute and a half and was generously laced with obscene references.

Mitchell County Attorney Mark Noah says an incident this past weekend triggered an investigation that since it started, has been trying to sort through an avalanche of allegations moving the case well beyond the community of Tipton.

Noah said the immediate concern is the welfare and disposition of the boys still at the Academy.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has taken the lead in the multi-jurisdictional investigation which also includes the Jewell County Attorney’s Office, the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department and the SRS.

Noah said, “For the time being the Tipton Academy remains open.” The Tipton Academy is owned and operated by its parent company in Utah under the direction of company CEO Kevin Richey.

As for the myriad of rumors surrounding the bizarre case, in particular reports of the old school building in Jewell being sold, Noah said he was not at liberty to comment at this time. A check with the Jewell County Register of Deeds Office shows that the City of Jewell still owns the property that was deeded over to them when the school district disorganized 2-years ago.

Noah did say more information would be made available to the public as the investigation progresses.

The Autumn 2011 issue of the Tipton Times came out last week and it contained a powerful story which is likely the definitive word on the tragic closing of the Tipton Academy.

Editor Fred Smith’s story reads like an obituary for the troubled boys home that operated for 6-years in the tiny western Mitchell County community.

In the story Smith documents the financial plight of the Tipton Academy owners Kevin and Kaye Richey of St. George, Utah.

Smith also castigated staff members who were involved in several incidents that got the Tipton Academy on the Kansas State Department of Health and Environment “radar screen”.

Smith specifically sights the staff members that, “Took Tipton Academy youth to Wilson Lake; several unsupervised boys swam in the lake, and one almost drowned.”

Also, “Kevin Richey said that former employees decided to start their own troubled boys school in Jewell without a license.”

Smith goes on, “Ten of the boys were removed from the Academy and transported to Jewell to the school. An investigation in Jewell County returned the boys to the Tipton Academy.”

Eventually the Richey’s voluntarily shut down the Tipton Academy during an investigation of the facility by KDHE.

At this point it appears the Tipton community will eventually get the old school building back.

One additional piece of information to report… I have it on good authority that one of the former Tipton Academy employees involved in the summer of 2011 disaster is reportedly looking at an old nursing home in Lucas as a possible sight for a new school for troubled boys. We’ll keep you informed.