Associated Press Published

Former Head of Salem Boarding School Sentenced for Neglect

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The former director of a now-closed Salem boarding school for troubled youths has been sentenced to six months in jail and five years of probation for misdemeanor child neglect and other charges.

The Exponent Telegram said Harrison Chief Judge Thomas A. Bedell sentenced 70-year-old Susan Gayle Clark of Pennsboro on Friday and ordered her taken into custody immediately.

The case stems from Clark’s time directing the Miracle Meadows School. She pleaded guilty earlier this year to three misdemeanors: child neglect creating a substantial risk of injury, failure to report and obstructing law enforcement.

Clark received nearly 50 letters of support, and the courtroom was packed with supporters. Bedell said the school’s policy of using handcuffs and isolation rooms wouldn’t have been approved in schools anywhere else.