The Utah Department of Health and Human Services is placing a residential treatment facility for teens on probation after a girl died last week.
The department placed Diamond Ranch Academy in Hurricane, Washington County, on conditional status on Dec. 22 after a 17-year-old female student died the day before.
Hurricane police said they were dispatched to the academy on Dec. 21 for a student who had been sick and collapsed. Despite school staff and emergency personnel extending life-saving measures, the student was pronounced dead.
Police said an investigation is ongoing and they are working with the state medical examiners’ office to determine the cause of death. The girl's identity has not been released.
A Notice of Agency Action from the health and human services department's licensing office declared Diamond Ranch Academy's license is now on conditional status and said it must notify all clients and their legal guardians of the status change.
The academy can no longer accept new clients, and it will be under increased monitoring inspections from the department’s licensing office to make sure compliance with rules is maintained.
"We take the health and safety of those in licensed programs very seriously. We are actively investigating and coordinating with law enforcement," according to a statement from the state health and human services department.
"As of right now, we are working on gathering the facts so we can carry out our investigation. It's important to note that the investigation conducted by law enforcement takes precedence, though our investigation is also underway. We are committed to a thorough investigation when it comes to this facility's license."