The adopted son of former Kentucky governor Matt Bevin says he was abandoned in Jamaica after being rescued from a school accused of abusing its students.
During his time in office from 2015 to 2019, the Republican and his wife Glenna often spoke of their four adopted children from Ethiopia and their desire to reform Kentucky’s ‘broken’ adoption and foster care system.
But one of the couple’s adopted sons, 17, has now claimed he was abandoned by the Bevins after being rescued from the Atlantis Leadership Academy for troubled teens in Jamaica in February.
The boy, nicknamed Noah for his privacy, was one of eight American boys aged 14 to 18 who were removed from the school after a surprise inspection uncovered horrific abuse, per authorities.
Noah told The Sunday Times last month that while other parents traveled to Jamaica to pick up their children after the school was raided, the Bevins did not show up and he was made ward of the Jamaican state.
The adopted son of former Kentucky governor Matt Bevin says he was abandoned in Jamaica after being rescued from a school accused of abusing its students
When asked why the Bevins adopted him, Noah replied: ‘public image.’
The Bevins, who also have five biological children, did not respond to the allegations when contacted by the Kentucky Lantern.
Noah was reportedly sent to another facility in Florida after Bevins lost re-election in 2019.
He was then sent to the Jamaican boarding school last year. His current whereabouts are unknown but he is no longer in Jamaica.
The Bevins are going through a contentious divorce after 27 years of marriage.
The school describes itself as ‘the ideal environment for a young man to detach from a chaotic, fast paced, destructive path to a calm, sincere and refreshing new start.’
But the teens who were rescued from the boarding school have spoken about being allegedly beaten, put in stress positions for hours, forced to exercise until they vomited and even waterboarded.
The Bevins, who also have five biological children, are yet to respond to the allegations
The Atlantis Leadership Academy is located on Treasure Beach, located along the island’s south coast
‘There were things that caused constant pain or suffering,’ one 15-year-old former student told NBC. ‘Like starving; When you’re hungry to the point that you’re in pain, or so thirsty that you’re about to pass out, that’s worse than a beating, in my opinion.’
The school’s founder Randall Cook has not been charged. He previously defended the institution and denied the boys’ accusations.
But several students have since described being forced to sit on a stool for hours on end without bathroom breaks and being hit if he moved.
Staff dumped buckets of water on his face, according to the 15-year-old. Another child described having a garden hose sprayed up his nostrils so violently he could not breathe.
Boys were also forced to work out for two hours every morning by running continuous laps or performing hundreds of pushups, with beatings doled out if they stopped, according to the former students.
‘You got whipped, you got pipes beaten on you,’ said James, 18, one of eight teens removed from the school. ‘But if I told someone, I was afraid of getting jumped by the other staff.’
During his time in office from 2015 to 2019, the Republican and his wife Glenna often spoke of their four adopted children from Ethiopia and their desire to reform Kentucky’s ‘broken’ adoption and foster care system
Pictured: Generic images of young people at the academy. The faith-based school specializes in helping teens overcome anger, depression, substance abuse
He added that food portions were routinely cut as a form of punishment and described the school as ‘living hell on paradise.’
The teens added that 16-year-old Cody Fleischman, who has Tourette’s’ Syndrome, ADHD and OCD was routinely singled out for some of the worst treatment.
Haunting images show the teen’s dramatic weight loss during just seven months at the school.
‘There’s no place to go,’ said Michael McFarland, an attorney representing his family. ‘You’re in this remote part of this country where you don’t know anyone and you’re being monitored at all times.’
In December 2023, James said some of the boys attempted an escape to the US Embassy, but were quickly picked up by staff who they say then beat them.
Paris Hilton who has fought against the troubled teen industry since she experienced it herself, flew to Jamaica to support the boys and spoke out against the school
His mom along with Fleischman’s said they were notified their children had been removed from the school on February 11 when they received a call from the Embassy.
Fleischman then reached out to Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media Impact which campaigns for greater scrutiny over the kinds of institutions that Hilton was herself sent to.
The heiress flew out to Jamaica to show her solidarity and demand the closure of the school.
‘When I heard about what eight American children had endured in the hands of a troubled teen facility in Jamaica, I knew I had to drop everything to show my support of their testimony,’ she said.
She said the boys had reported being ‘violently beaten, whipped, water-boarded, and starved.’
‘It outrages me that it is taking months to bring these children back to the United States and mere moments to send them away in the first place,’ she said.
