KEYMAR, Md. (WBFF) — Months after Maryland removed all foster youth from Silver Oak Academy and did not renew its residential license, the company behind the Carroll County facility is “planning” a new another residential program at the same campus.But two of the county’s top officials – who had pressed the state to intervene after repeated violence, runaways and police calls at Silver Oak – say no one told them.Carroll County Commissioners President Joe Vigliotti said he believed the residential operation had ended permanently.Sheriff Jim DeWees, whose deputies repeatedly responded to emergencies at the rural Keymar campus, said Rite of Passage has not contacted his office about its new plans.”No, not at all,” DeWees said. “Which is a shame.”A monument sign sits at the beginning of a mile-long driveway on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, for Nevada-based Rites of Passage’s Silver Oak Academy, an alternative, privately operated juvenile foster facility in Carroll County, Md. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)Efforts to kickstart Silver Oak’s new program began a little over a month after the Maryland departments of Juvenile Services and Human Services refused to renew its residential license for foster children.An email circulated this summer by a Maryland lobbying firm said Rite of Passage was seeking a state Certificate of Need for a new program providing residential treatment to children with significant behavioral health needs.Rite of Passage acknowledged this week that additional programming is being considered by declined to provide details.Maryland students are receiving education at our day school,” a school spokesperson wrote in response to questions. “Any other proposed programming is in the planning stage.”The developments raise new questions about what state officials know about the proposed program, what scrutiny it will receive and why local officials responsible for responding to emergencies at the property say they have been left out of the discussions.A new plan after years of problemsIt would not be the first attempt to reinvent Silver Oak.Maryland juvenile justice monitors removed Department of Juvenile Services youth from the facility in 2022 due to concerns about youth safety, staff supervision and its educational program.In 2024, Carroll County officials announced Rite of Passage was considering another residential youth program at the campus. State records later showed Maryland contracted for up to 24 beds there for male foster youth who had experienced hospital or hotel stays.Problems soon followed.Silver Oak Academy in Carroll County, Md., a privately operated foster setting for juveniles under state care. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)In January 2025, authorities responded to a large fight that injured students and a staff member.Two weeks later, Carroll County sheriff’s dispatch audio obtained by Spotlight on Maryland described students armed with fire extinguishers, rocks and chair legs as “overtaking the campus.” Three juveniles were arrested.The sheriff’s office said it was the second large-scale fight there in 14 days.ALSO READ | Maryland won’t renew Silver Oak’s license; foster abuse allegations mountBy this summer, Maryland had removed its foster children from the facility.Lilly Price, press secretary for the Maryland Department of Human Services, told Spotlight on Maryland that all foster youth had been removed by June 5.“According to our records, the final payment issued to Rite of Passage was on July 13, 2026, covering services for state youth rendered through June 5, 2026,” Price wrote in an email.The residential license was not renewed. Seeking approval for residential programThen came another proposal.In an email shared with Spotlight on Maryland this summer, officials at the Maryland lobbying firm Tabuteau LLC requested a meeting with a prominent state stakeholder.The firm is led by Richard Tabuteau, who served as a senior adviser to former Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, a Republican, and as deputy counsel for legislative affairs for former Attorney General Doug Gansler, a Democrat.ALSO READ | ‘Riots,’ violence, questions over privately run youth facility in MarylandThe email said the effort was on behalf of Rite of Passage to obtain a certificate of need for a new residential treatment program in Carroll County.The program will offer high-acuity behavioral health continuum of care services specifically designed to treat youth with emotional and behavioral disorders requiring therapeutic, educational, and recreational programming in a residential setting,” the email said.The recipient provided the email to Spotlight on Maryland but asked not to be identified because the person is not authorized to speak to the media. Meanwhile, Tabuteau did not respond to phone calls or emails about this story.Maryland regulations outline that Certificates of Need (CON) are permits issued by the Maryland Health Care Commission.Spotlight on Maryland asked the Maryland Health Care Commission on Thursday whether it was aware of Rite of Passage’s effort to seek CON approval. The agency acknowledged the email but did not respond.Local officials say they weren’t toldThe proposal came as a surprise to Vigliotti.“My understanding was that the previous iteration of that school was going to be closed down for the disaster that occurred there through the last year,” Vigliotti said.ALSO READ | Maryland foster child missing from Silver Oak; new alleged assaults with ‘rat traps’DeWees said he is not opposed to facilities serving children who need intensive services. He said a workable model requires adequate staffing, counselors, security, and communication with law enforcement.“You would think if they were going to open back up under some different model, they would have consulted with me,” DeWees said. “But I have not heard from them, which is a little concerning.”Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees told Spotlight on Maryland on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, that his office has been overwhelmed with calls for service related to incidents that have occurred at Silver Oak Academy. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)DeWees said he hopes state agencies are communicating before any new program is approved.If they’re not, they’re going to hear from me, whether it’s DHS, whether it’s DJS,” DeWees said.DeWees said his office will be watching.“If they continue to do business the way they’ve done historically,” he said, “then I’ll work to shut them down also, in this new iteration of Silver Oak. I’m not shy about saying that.”ALSO READ | Former Silver Oak Academy worker alleges culture of fear; youth calls facility a ‘hellholeVigliotti said neither Silver Oak nor the state has contacted him or fellow commissioners regarding a potential reopening. Local officials had previously confronted Silver Oak about problems on campus, he said.“They told us that within six months we would see a completely different set of circumstances at the school,” Vigliotti said of a meeting involving county officials, law enforcement and Silver Oak.“And clearly, we did. They got shut down,” Vigliotti added.Questions about what remains at Silver OakAlthough the residential foster-care operation ended, Silver Oak’s educational operation appears to have continued.Rite of Passage declined Spotlight on Maryland’s requests for an interview and instead provided the brief statement saying Maryland students continue to receive education at its day school.Nearly a dozen vehicles were observed entering the facility Wednesday afternoon.ALSO READ | Former Silver Oak Academy worker alleges culture of fear; youth calls facility a ‘hellholeSpotlight on Maryland pressed Rites of Passage about its current operation at the Carroll County site, asking on Wednesday and Thursday:How many students attend your day school?Are students from other states attending your day school at Silver Oak?How many previous foster cases also attended your day school?A spokesperson responded “no” to the question about students attending from other states. The other questions were not answered, despite being asked multiple times.The Maryland State Department of Education currently lists Silver Oak Academy as Carroll County’s only approved publicly funded nonpublic school, a Type I full-day special education program for students in grades nine through 12 with certain disabilities. MSDE’s 2025-26 enrollment publication lists three students at Silver Oak.Maryland State Department of Education building. (WBFF)Internet archived records show this designation changed by July. Silver Oak was listed as having a Type I and Type III nonpublic school certification.A Type III education program in Maryland provides “transitional instructional programs” that are “offered to students living inside a licensed care or treatment facility,” according to the state’s website.MSDE has not answered Spotlight on Maryland’s questions about why the education certification was modified, what caused the modification, if there is any taxpayer funding going to the operation from the agency and what the average student count is at Silver Oak.Silver Oak Academy’s latest nonprofit organization IRS Form 990 reported $63,400 in revenue and $66,001 in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 2025, resulting in a $2,601 deficit.The nonprofit filing for Silver Oak shows negative net assets of about $1.66 million.Have you experienced or had direct knowledge of the conditions at Silver Oak Academy? Do you have any tips related to this story? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
