Utah has terminated the license of a boarding school where Paris Hilton disclosed experiencing mistreatment during her teenage years, citing a lack of appropriate health and safety provisions for clients. The state’s action, effective on Monday, highlights several instances of noncompliance at the Provo Canyon School’s Springville campus, dating back to 2025. The school has a 15-day window to request a hearing from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The citations issued include failure to improve staff-to-client ratios, engaging in unnecessary physical contact and restraints with a client, neglecting care, and delays in verifying employee information and background checks for applicants. Earlier in May, state health officials imposed temporary restrictions on the school due to staff not promptly seeking medical attention for a student with severe injuries.
Paris Hilton, in a statement provided on Tuesday, expressed solidarity with survivors, stating that the state’s actions validate the long-standing accounts of abuse, neglect, and trauma endured by children at Provo Canyon School. Hilton, who spent nearly a year at the school in the late 1990s, alleged mistreatment by staff, including physical abuse, invasion of privacy, forced medication, and solitary confinement without attire.
The director of the division of licensing and background checks at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Shannon Thoman-Black, announced during a media briefing that the facility must cease operations by August 6. The owners are barred from reapplying for a new license for five years, with ongoing weekly inspections to ensure compliance with regulations. Thoman-Black emphasized the importance of ensuring the safe discharge of the children under care.
Hilton has been an advocate for the closure of the school, testifying about her experiences at various legislative levels and contributing to the enactment of laws safeguarding teenagers in multiple states. The troubled-teen industry, featuring private, for-profit residential centers for children with behavioral challenges, has long had a significant presence in Utah.
Provo Canyon School, a psychiatric residential treatment facility for adolescents aged 12 to 18 according to its website, did not provide immediate comment in response to an Associated Press inquiry. The state directive mandates the complete cessation of services at the campus by August 6. Hilton revisited the school in June to support families pursuing legal action over alleged mistreatment of their children.
The school is now under new ownership, with the current administration refraining from commenting on past incidents predating the change, including Hilton’s experiences.
