Ex-students sue, alleging abuse at oldest US reform school

PHILADELPHIA – Four former students at the nation’s oldest reform school have filed a federal class-action lawsuit alleging that they were abused and denied an education.

The Juvenile Law Center says the suit against Glen Mills Schools in suburban Philadelphia was filed Wednesday.

An investigation by The Philadelphia Inquirer this year detailed decades of alleged abuse and coverups at the 193-year-old campus.

The state this week revoked all the school’s licenses , weeks after ordering all remaining students be removed from the campus about 25 miles (40 kilometres) west of Philadelphia.

Glen Mills spokeswoman Aimee Tysarczyk says the school wasn’t aware of the suit until they heard about it in the media. She says attorneys are evaluating the suit.

The lawsuit asks for compensation and punitive damages for the plaintiffs, legal fees and other relief.