Utah Shuts Down Provo Canyon School After Revoking License Over Safety Violations

State regulators have ordered Provo Canyon School’s Springville campus to close, revoking its operating license following a pattern of health and safety failures that have drawn scrutiny for years.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services cited numerous violations at the facility, including inadequate staffing, improper use of physical restraints, delayed medical care, neglect of residents, and gaps in background screening procedures. The school must cease operations by a state-imposed deadline unless it successfully pursues legal action.

The decision comes after a wave of abuse allegations from former students, propelling the case into the national spotlight—particularly after media personality Paris Hilton shared her own experiences at the school.

Hilton, who attended Provo Canyon School as a teenager in the late 1990s, has alleged she endured abuse during her time there. She called the closure a major victory for survivors who have spoken out over decades about mistreatment at the facility.

The activist has spent years campaigning for stronger oversight of youth residential treatment programs, testifying before Congress and appearing in documentaries about her experience. State officials’ decision to revoke the license, she said, validates the accounts of former students who have long called for accountability.

State inspections and investigations documented multiple compliance failures, including insufficient staff-to-resident ratios, improper restraint practices, delays in emergency medical treatment, inadequate resident care, and incomplete background checks on employees.

Regulators determined the facility failed to maintain adequate health and safety protections for the young people in its care.

Provo Canyon School representatives have challenged the state’s findings and indicated they plan to appeal the licensing decision. The school has a limited timeframe under Utah regulations to contest the revocation.

The closure has reignited debate over the “troubled teen industry”—residential behavioral treatment programs that operate across the country with varying levels of oversight. Survivor advocates have long argued for stricter regulations and greater transparency to protect vulnerable youth placed in these facilities.

With high-profile figures like Hilton pushing for reform, pressure is mounting for broader changes to how such programs operate and are monitored.