The West Texas State School (WTSS, originally the West Texas Children's Home of Pyote) was a juvenile detention facility operated by the Texas Youth Commission that closed on August 31, 2010.Facility Address List
." Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on July 19, 2010. It was located in unincorporated central Ward County, Texas,Ward, Mike.
Report: school "did not provide a safe environment"
." ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

''. Saturday March 17, 2007. Retrieved on May 23, 2010. along the southwestern edge of Pyote,West Texas State School
"

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

. Retrieved on May 23, 2010. on

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with Interstate 10, I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with Interstate 95, I-95 in Flo ...

West Texas State School
" Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on May 23, 2010. between El Paso and

Midland Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...

. The former school was about west of Monahans, west of Midland and

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, and 230 miles east of El Paso.

History

The West Texas Children's Home of Pyote, a Texas Youth Council orphanage for neglected children, opened on the former

Pyote Air Force Station Pyote Air Force Base was a World War II United States Army Air Forces training airbase. It was on a mile from the town of Pyote, Texas, on Interstate 20, 20 miles west of Monahans and just south of U.S. Highway 80, east of El Paso. It wa ...

in 1966. The 1979 closure of the Gatesville State School meant that some children who formerly lived in that correctional facility began to live in the West Texas Children's Home.Gatesville State School for Boys
" ''

''. Retrieved on July 23, 2010. In the 1980s the facility was converted into a juvenile detention facility for males. In 1993 fencing was added. Prior to 2007 about 270 inmates lived in the state school and about 300 employees worked there.Johnson, David.
Pyote's future
" '' Odessa American''. April 17, 2010. Retrieved on June 4, 2010. In 2007 investigative report by State Auditor John Keel recommended the closure of the facility, saying that it is too remote to sufficient employment bases. By 2010 most of the employees at WTSS came from towns around Pyote such as Kermit, Monahans, and

Pecos Pecos may refer to: Places * Pecos River, rises near Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States * Pecos, Texas, a city in Reeves County, Texas, United States * Pecos County, Texas, named for the Pecos River ** Pecos Spring, a spring * Pecos, New Mexico, a ...

. The last student at the West Texas State School was transferred out of the institution on Friday May 28, 2010. On Tuesday June 1, 2010, the West Texas State School closed. In August 2010 TYC gave the lands back to University of Texas Lands.

Child sexual abuse scandal

On February 23, 2007, '' The Texas Observer'' published a news story detailing allegations of child sexual abuse by staff members at the West Texas State School. Following an investigation by the Texas Rangers and the FBI in February and March 2005, two of the highest-ranking officials at the school, assistant superintendent Ray Brookins and the school principal had been accused of having sexual relations with several students over an extended period. (Brookins was later convicted, but the second man was cleared of all charges). On February 28 Republican Governor

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...

dismissed chairman Pete C. Alfaro, who had been named to the commission in 1995 by then Republican Governor George W. Bush, and called for the dismissal of acting executive director Neil Nichols. On March 2, more allegations surfaced of sexual abuse at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Facility in Brownwood, leaving McAllen Democrat Juan Hinojosa to state that the situation at Pyote "is not an isolated incident." The same day, the ''

'' reported its possession of an internal report on the sexual abuse misconduct investigations, with four extra paragraphs that were redacted in the final public version detailing involvement of several top officials in 2005. Also on the same day, Gov. Rick Perry appointed Jay Kimbrough as "Special Master". As the scandal gained public attention, more allegations were uncovered. The TYC admitted that at least 10 teenage boys were sexually abused at the West Texas State School, and newspapers reported on some 750 complaints of sexual misconduct against correctional officers and other TYC employees since January 2000. TYC Inspector General Ray Worsham was later implicated in the alteration of the misconduct investigations report. On March 28, Gov. Perry appointed Kimbrough conservator of the TYC.

References

External links

*
West Texas State School
" '' Texas Youth Commission'' *
VIOL CIVIL RIGHTS PERSON IN CUSTODY VIOLATE/SEXUAL 39.04(a)(2) PC FS
- Texas Department of Public Safety * - Educational Service Center 18 {{Coord, 31, 31, 31, N, 103, 07, 49, W, scale:10000, display=title Buildings and structures in Ward County, Texas Juvenile detention centers in Texas School sexual abuse scandals 1966 establishments in Texas 2010 disestablishments in Texas