Politics & Government

Carroll County Juvenile Treatment Facility to Double Number of Students

Silver Oak Academy in Keymar will expand from 48 beds to 96 beds over the next year.

The Maryland Board of Public Works voted recently to allow Silver Oak Academy, a Carroll County treatment facility for juveniles, to double its size to twice that of the state cap, according to MarylandReporter.com

Silver Oak Academy is a residential treatment program in Keymar for adjudicated male at-risk youth, according to their website

The facility will expand from 48 beds to 96 beds, double the number that the state considers ideal. 

Lawmakers decided in 2008 that state-run juvenile facilities should be no larger than 48 beds and should be near the hometowns of the children they serve, according to a Baltimore Sun article.

Program Director Kevin McLeod told Patch that the facility will not have to undergo any new construction to accomodate the growth. 

"There won't be any new construction, not even minimal construction," McLeod said. "The units to house additional kids are already standing and are fully operational."

Silver Oak Academy will be expanding its vocational training programs, McLeod said, to include a certified machinist program, a pharmacy tech and a certified nursing tech program. 

"I'm looking forward to bringing those programs on because they are workforce training programs that allow kids to perform in the workforce right away," McLeod said. 

One change the facility will see with the expansion is the addition of 18-year-olds at the facility. According to McLeod, up until now the school has only served students up to 17 years old.

McLeod said that students from around the state are placed at Silver Oak Academy by government agencies.

The Silver Oak Academy facility used to belong to Bowling Brook Preparatory School which closed in 2007 after a student died while being restrained by staff.

The school will begin taking on 4 new students a month until it reaches 96 students, McLeod said.

To learn more about Silver Oak Academy, visit their website at www.silveroakacademy.com



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