ELDORA, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) has appointed Jason Sodders as the new superintendent for the Boys State Training School (BSTS) in Eldora.
Sodders currently serves as the school's deputy and interim superintendent.
DHS director Kelly Garcia said her team concluded he was the right choice after a "thorough search and interview process."
The facility is a state-run school for male juvenile offenders that was at the center of a 2017 lawsuit about the use of physical restraining devices and isolation as a form of punishment.
A judge ordered the facility to stop using a physical restraint device called "the wrap" and limiting isolation time.
"We need someone who understands the youth on campus and someone who understands the evolution of the school—where it has been and where it’s heading," she said in a news release. "The school is undergoing a number of changes and we need a leader who can see the facility through this transition, while keeping BSTS positioned to meet the challenging needs of the youth we serve.”
Sodders' goal is to strengthen the school's ability to serve kids with challenging backgrounds and improving safety, according to DHS.
“I want to ensure consistency and stability within the facility to attain that goal,” Sodders said in a statement. “A focus on staff and youth safety is primary while we work to continue therapeutic initiatives to positively impact the population.”
Sodders came to the school as a youth services worker in 2000 and later worked as a counselor and then security director.
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