Students at a private American school where four staff members - including a Utah couple - face cruelty charges say they were isolated, tied up and kept from using the restroom, police said.
Investigator Petr Netik said eight of the 25 children interviewed by police complained that educational methods at the school were too harsh."Some of the children said they were isolated in a room where they had to lie on their bellies, sometimes with their hands tied behind their backs, and were given only a limited amount of water," Netik said in a telephone interview Thursday from Brno, 125 miles southeast of Prague.
"They also were not allowed to go to the bathroom when they needed," he said.
Charges have been filed against two Americans and two Czech employees of the school, Netik said. The four are charged with cruelty to people in their custody and with curtailing the students' freedom of movement. They face up to eight years in jail if convicted, he said.
Robert Bezdek, the lawyer for the U.S. citizens, identified them as Glenda Roach, the principal of the school, and her husband Steven, of St. George.
One of the Americans was released on $6,600 bail. It was not immediately known which one.
Police interviewed 25 of the 57 students over the weekend, and Netik admitted some students said they liked the school.
Netik, however, said the school failed to provide medical care and the staff did not have adequate professional training.
"Their only qualification was their knowledge of English," he said.
Bezdek suggested that the children may have lied to police, referring to serious problems some had at home, including drug problems.
"Police made a mistake not to have a psychologist attend the interviews," Bezdek said. "Nobody will ever find out whether the kids were telling the truth."
Martin Pilka, co-owner of the Morava Academy agency that runs the school, told The Associated Press last week that the school is a regular boarding school for American teenagers who were neglecting school at home and had problems getting along with their families.
He denied claims of harsh punishment and said the children regularly went for walks and excursions.
Pilka said the first of the students arrived in March for a course of up to 10 months.
On its Web site, Morava Academy says it offers an "effective program to help teens replace inappropriate attitudes, behaviors and habits with new, productive ones" at $60 per day. It also offers an "excellent educational program," including German classes.
However, it also warns that inappropriate behavior is "confronted . . . and reduced."
The academy is partly owned by St. George attorney J. Ralph Atkin. Atkin could not be reached for comment, but Karr Farns-worth, head of an umbrella company that represents Morava Academy and several other teen programs around the world, said in a telephone interview from Brno, Czech Republic, that the charges are absurd.
"It's really unfortunate that a few ex-employees who can't work with children can stir up problem like this," said Farnsworth, president of the Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs.
"The authorities in this area have always been supportive, but it appears there's an element here within the state police that doesn't like Americans," Farnsworth said.
Several of the students have recanted their testimonies, Farnsworth said.