Paris Hilton is fighting to close down the Utah boarding school where she claims to have been abused during her teenage years. The heiress previously revealed she was physically, mentally, and emotionally abused while attending Provo Canyon School and now she has launched a Change.org petition to shut down the facility that was established to help troubled teens.
"Provo Canyon School in Utah has a horrific legacy of abuse and mistreatment toward the youth they claim to be supporting," the petition read. "It’s time to shut the school down to ensure the safety of the children at this school now and prevent future generations of survivors."
Paris made her allegations against the school in August during an interview with People.
"From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture," she said, adding that teachers would hit and strangle her and use solitary confinement as a means of punishment.
Provo Canyon School responded to the report on its website, explaining that the establishment was sold by its previous owners in August 2000.
"We do not condone or promote any form of abuse," a statement read. "Any and all alleged/suspected abuse is reported immediately to our state regulatory authorities, law enforcement and Child Protective Services, as required. We are committed to providing high-quality care to youth with special, and often complex, emotional, behavioral and psychiatric needs."
In her petition, Paris dismissed the school's claims and insisted there were police records and testimonies that "prove that these actions and experiences still persist today." She wrote that, over the last five years, the Utah Department of Licensing had launched over 300 investigations and only 27 were substantiated.
"This facility stands both as a keystone and major influence in this corrupt industry, and its closure would not only be highly symbolic but help to shift attitudes about child treatment programs as a whole," she noted. "Holding the industry accountable for the very existence of a program like PCS would help to create a chain reaction of similar accountability across the country."