Sorenson's Ranch School

Shaun Sorenson, son of Burnell Sorenson, was the subject of a lawsuit originated by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services due to his employment at the ranch despite his status as a convicted felon in the state of California. The court ruled that he could in fact remain employed at the school as the law only applied to instructors, and he was not an instructor.^[11]

In 2006, the school filed suit against MySpace because of past attendees who were labeling themselves "survivors" and alleging that the Sorensons engaged in child abuse, employed underqualified staff, and engaged in false advertising. When the MySpace pages were taken down, they withdrew the suit.^[12]

In October 2007, two seventeen-year-old boys attempted to run away from Sorenson's Ranch School. They were reported to Sevier County sheriff's department.

In 2021 the State of Utah took the unusual step of threatening to revoke the license of the school for failing to close a facility known as "Mountain Camp" two years after regulators had ordered them to close it. Mountain Camp employed forced labor as punishment for misbehavior, forcing residents to shovel manure, chop wood, pick up rocks, or simply walk without stopping for hours. Such punishment is considered "disproportionate consequence for negative behaviors” under Utah law. The state's statement on the matter went on to state that the school had failed to report at least a dozen "critical incidents" as required by law, and that staff abused and threatened students.^[13]

The Notice of Agency Action (NAA) dated March 23, 2021 noted a total of fourteen violations of Utah Administrative Rules. A review of Sorenson's internal reports and employee files shows at least six instances within the past three years of criminal activity such as assault and/or threats where there is no documentation to show that these incidents were reported to law enforcement or applicable investigative agencies as required by office rules and state statute. Furthermore, a staff interview revealed that the program did not allow staff members to directly report to applicable investigative agencies. Finally, a review of internal incident reports, employee files and client interviews documented numerous incidents of mistreatment. In addition to the mistreatment described in the other violations listed in the NAA, 8 of 14 clients interviewed reported staff mistreatment in the form of verbal mistreatment and threatening statements.^[14][15]

• Sorenson's Ranch School Official Website
• Sorenson's Ranch School Website