Questions Loom Over Future of At-Risk Youth as State Shuts Down HYCA
KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. — For nearly two decades, the Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy (HYCA) has served as a “beacon of hope” for Indiana’s at-risk teens.
Now, as the academy prepares for its final graduation this June, a storm of controversy is erupting over the decision to close the facility—and the apparent “gag order” preventing staff from speaking out.
Internal documents and interviews with local advocates reveal a community in mourning and a workforce living in fear.
The “Gag Order”: Jobs at Risk for Speaking Out
Sources claim that morale at the Knightstown campus has plummeted following an internal email sent to staff. The communication reportedly issued a stark warning: if employees took their grievances to the media or state politicians, their jobs would be at risk.
Local community leader and advocate Kevin Richey says this culture of silence is a departure from how state business is typically handled.
“They sat them down and said, ‘We’re closing in June.’ That’s basically all they were told,” Richey said. “They had no voice. If they want to keep a job until June, they can’t be out there saying anything.”
A Historic Campus with an Uncertain Future
The HYCA sits on the grounds of the former Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children’s Home, a site that has served vulnerable youth since the Civil War. While the Indiana National Guard cites “strategic priority shifts” and “aging facilities” as the reasons for the June 30th closure, Richey argues the state is failing its most vulnerable citizens.
“This ground is sacred ground to me,” Richey noted, referencing his family’s long history of working at the campus. “If the state can find money to fund everything else they do, but children aren’t a priority, then our priorities are wrong. If it can’t be at this campus, it needs to be somewhere. These kids come from Gary to Evansville—they need this outlet.”
The academy offers a 17.5-month military-style program for 16-to-18-year-olds who are struggling in traditional school systems. With no military obligation, the program focuses on discipline, life skills, and obtaining a high school diploma.
As news of the closure spreads, parents are panicking. One mother shared her devastating reality on social media:
“A few days ago my son was once again suspended… He simply needs a program like HYCA to get him there. Whatever happens next is not going to be as good as HYCA, and we may have lost our child to a future that is going to do nothing but harm.”
Despite the finality of the decision, state representatives reportedly had no prior knowledge of the move.
“Corey Criswell State Rep. had even said… they had no knowledge beforehand,” Richey claimed. “This wasn’t a discussion a year ago. No committees were assigned to it. It was totally blindsided.”
While rumors swirl about the property being converted into a sports complex, the Indiana National Guard maintains that the future of the Knightstown grounds remains “under evaluation.”
