'Boys beaten up, branded, sexually abused and humiliated at military boarding school with culture of abuse'



Six boys at a military boarding school are alleged to have suffered sexual attacks, forcible branding, severe beatings and mental abuse at the hands of staff and other students.



The shocking claims are the latest in a growing list of former cadets who allege in a federal lawsuit they were abused at St. John's Military School in Salina, Kansas.



The Episcopal boarding school for boys in grades 6-12, which charges families nearly $30,000 per year, draws students from across the country.

Systematic abuse: Six boys allege they were abused at St. John's Military School in Kansas

But the latest accusations of sinister abuse follow nine previous abuse-related lawsuits filed since 2006, according to court records. The school have settled these cases.

One unnamed Californian boy was only at the school for four days during which time he was tormented by staff and students after breaking both his legs in separate incidents.

The court filing includes the boy's X-ray, showing abuse so severe that his thigh bone was displaced several inches above the knee.

Tortured: The new claims against the military school are the latest in a list allegations of abuse

Another student, from Tennessee, claims that his stomach was forcibly branded as a rite of initiation.



A third cadet, from Florida, allegedly broke his hand as he tried to avoid being groped by a fellow student, who had a history of sexual abuse.



In this case school officials are accused of refusing to investigate or informing the boy's parents of the attack.

Horrific: The young cadets were allegedly sexually, physically and mentally abused by fellow students

A Colorado student who tried to hitchhike home to escape abuse was caught and beaten in a van in front of a faculty member.



Other allegations come from a Texan boy who was urinated on by other students in the shower, and an Illinois cadet who suffered a fractured eye socket after being kneed in the head.



The court filing also includes a photograph that had been posted on Facebook depicting a uniformed cadet from Texas gagged, blindfolded and bound with black duct tape.

An amended complaint filed in federal court in Kansas City on Friday now includes six sets of parents who have filed on behalf of cadets, plus one ex-cadet who is now an adult.



'The parents of these kids don't want any other kids to suffer the way their kids did,' said Dan Zmijewski, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys.

Prestigious: The Episcopal boarding school charges families nearly $30,000 per year for students to attend

Their lawsuit, which was initially filed March 5, contends that the school allows and encourages older students to physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually abuse young students.



According to court filings, the legal action purports to chronicle a 'dangerous and disturbing culture at a boy's military school which must end.'



Amid widening media coverage of the latest lawsuit, more parents and cadets are coming forward with stories of abuse, Zmijewski said.



'It is just more kids who suffered extreme abuse at the hands of students while staff is watching – and is more indicative of what is going on there,' he said.



Derek Johannsen, an attorney for St. John's, sent an email statement yesterday on the school's behalf.

In it, he said the school denies the existence of a culture of abuse, and pointed out that St. John's has a 120-year history of helping young men develop skills in a safe environment.



'(The school's) objective is to provide a rigorous academic environment, opportunity for religious introspection and a structured campus life to help develop young men with the highest degree of self-discipline and self-confidence,' the statement read.



Johannsen also wrote that some of the allegations in the lawsuit were investigated by law enforcement and no charges were filed. He said a formal response to the amended complaint will be filed soon.



In a separate settlement last year, the school argued it had made reasonable efforts to curb abuses, noting military schools nationwide have a problem with hazing. St. John's installed surveillance cameras in the hallways and instituted weekly bruise checks.