People to People Ambassador program sued over death of student

Parent Cafe
41

<p>I have no comments on this program, but I do have experience being an adult volunteer working with a group of kids with a Type 1 diabetic in it. Part of his joining our Boy Scout troop was that we asked his parents to provide training to our older Scouts and adults on how to help him manage his diabetes on outings, and how to recognize if he has problems. His father told us that one of the effects of diabetic problems is that the diabetic has problems recognizing when he is in trouble. I’m not setting myself up as an expert here (honest), but the warning signs aren’t complex, and the “training” I’ve had was only about 90 minutes long. A tour group that accepts responsibility for a minor with this condition is ethically obligated to know at least something about the condition.</p>

<p>We had an incident at summer camp a couple of years ago when Bobby (not his real name) started having a sugar crash after hiking a couple of miles. Someone in the troop noticed that Bobby didn’t look so good, told him to get his diabetes kit out and eat some candy. Bobby did so, and tested his sugar. Within a few minutes everything was fine and they continued on to camp. The person who spotted the problem was Bobby’s 13-year-old patrol leader, who didn’t even tell an adult until dinner that night. (Adults were less than 50 yards away, by the way.) </p>

<p>If a 13-year-old boy can be trained how to spot a diabetic in trouble, how can a tour company not respond when the diabetic himself is asking for help? This is beyond my power to understand, and leads me to wonder what else might have been going on. Either the tour leaders didn’t know what was happening or they are stupid beyond the limits of human understanding. Sheesh.</p>

42

<p>For heavens sake.
The boy according to his parents- did do what he was supposed to do.
He notified the adults in charge that he was ill and requested medical assistance repeatedly.</p>

<p>For someone that has a severe illness & is extremely ill- that takes a lot of focus and concentration to even ask for help- because most of us, I think, resist help and don’t want to be trouble- when we * do* ask for help- that should be paid attention to ASAP -he shouldn’t be expected by anyone, to find and get himself to medical assistance- when he is in a foreign country and when there are adults who had been informed prior to the trip and were responsible for him.</p>

<p>If the group that ran these programs did not want to be physically responsible for the children in their care- then they shouldn’t have taken the Mound’s money and accepted their son into the program.</p>

<p><a href=“Mound family sues over diabetic son’s death on exchange program – Twin Cities”>Mound family sues over diabetic son’s death on exchange program – Twin Cities;

43

<p>The outcome in this case was certainly tragic and my heart goes out to the family and friends (and in fact all those who were on this trip).</p>

<p>However, please realize that you are reading one side of the story, as spun by plaintiff’s lawyers. As a lawyer, I can tell you that there are not only two sides to every story, but often three, four or five. I have been involved in trials in which, after the plaintiff’s case ended, the jury was ready to stone the defendant. But by the time the defendant put on its case, tables had turned and that same jury returned a verdict for the defense.</p>

<p>Remember that it is in the plaintiff’s best interests to make the situation look as bad as possible.</p>

<p>I’m not saying that P2P did everything right. I’m not even saying that P2P did anything right. I am saying that there is more to this story than meets the eye.</p>

44

<p>I agree there is always something we don’t know- but apparently the Red Cross medical center is saying that he wouldn’t have died if he had gotten medical care earlier</p>

<p><a href=“FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul”>http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5610139&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

45

<p>doubleplay and WashDad, thanks that is the point I was trying to make. A lot of times in situations like this the person isn’t thinking clearly. I have been there, luckily only once in 8.5 years, and I consider myself a responsible person and an adult and I needed help from someone else to make the right decision for me.</p>

46

<p>Hello, I am Tyler’s proud mom. </p>

<p>When we label we disable. Ty was not diabetic, he had diabetes, and he mastered it.</p>

<p>Our son was a diabetes advocate who took his health seriously. Ty presented before numerous diabetes organizations and was a role model. The description that that Ty ‘suffered’ from diabetes is the authors - not ours. Ty had near normal blood sugars HbA1c of 5.6-7 without severe hypo or hyper glycemia (ever) for the diabetes literate. Ty never needed third party intervention. He was a responsible, A honor roll student who overcame adversity and knew how to love. At 15, 6’2" and 215 lbs he was awarded MVP in rugby. He was the youngest on his team. He was also a junior officer in Deca. He is not a dumb kid, and even if he was, that doesn’t excuse them. Everyone with disability deserves an equal opportunity. Ty’s death is a huge loss, not just for us but for our community.</p>

<p>To answer the question is the story really that bad, No - the story is worse! It is so much worse. You cannot imagine. There is only so much we can stand, and only so much room to report. We answer the questions, they write the story.</p>

<p>My husband and I tried for almost two months to reconcile and reform with People to People. No Go. They are more concerned about shareholder values than the safety of the kids. They are corrupt. The truth will prevail in court. </p>

<p>Am I angry? I am wounded. I am crushed. I am grieving. We are being treated for post traumatic stress disorder. You have no idea. The pain is beyond comprehension. </p>

<p>We of course, do not want to be in this position. How daunting, to take on a corporation that flies Eisenhower as a banner! We were freed from that once we read the N Y Times 6/10/58 article People to People dissolves. </p>

<p>There is no alternative, we have no other choice. The only course we had was to file a suit. The money…that’s the system. The real issue at stake here, the message I want you to know, is that kids are not safe with this company, and Ty is not the only one to die in 50 years as we were told. </p>

<p>We are seeking justice, accountability, resitution and most importantly, reform because Jeff Thomas, CEO, refused to take down their promise of a solid safety record and a golden standard of safety off the student ambassador website. We want to protect other children.</p>

<p>Did Ty have fun? Yes. He was ecstatic. This was such an unbelievable opportunity for him. Does that make it okay? </p>

<p>We believe in international understanding and will work diligently towards a T HILL Safety Standards Bill that will mandate how these organizations acquire and train staff, protect children and report their track records so parents can make informed choices. Until then, please know…no such thing exists. There are very few safety standards outside of background checks on host families. (Please visit <a href=“http://www.tylerhill.org%5B/url%5D”>www.tylerhill.org</a> in one week to learn more about the T HILL BILL for Safety Standards)</p>

<p>As to fall back plans… Yes. I spent $1000 on International Sprint phones and more money on an international calling plan. Cell phones were supposed to be prohibited but I told them it was a matter of life and health.
Ty’s phone failed him, and mine failed me when we arrived in Tokyo. </p>

<p>After we returned, many kids were phoning Ty’s cell to hear his voice. I took the phone and asked Sprint to cancel the service and refund my money because the phones failed and Ty died. Spring refused because we had a two year contract. Imagine!! I couldn’t speak out about P2P at the time because of the pending lawsuit but I could about spring. I fired off a complaint to John Kerry at the Senate oversite committee and with Lori Swanson, Attorney General for MN. Ms. Swanson is working on the Cellular User Bill of Rights. Did they cancel the service. No, I switched our plan to AT&T and waited for the cancellation fees to arrive. Senator Coleman’s office advocated for us and we received a credit for the term of the contract, not the phones. So what? If Sprint would have just credited the service, we would have walked away. If People to People would have admitted their fault and changed their protocols, and perhaps offered a perpetual scholarship to create Tyler’s legacy, we would probably have walked away.</p>

<p>P2P ‘strongly’ discourages calls between students and parents but so what - we didn’t listen. I tried phoning Ty at his host parents but couldn’t get through. The kids move around alot and their itinerary that we received the week before they left is not the one they followed. To contact Ty, I had to call corporate get the hotel four days in advance to send him a fed/ex care package full of love stuff. We did email to/from during his host stay. </p>

<p>When we were in Japan during the horror, we were given a cell phone to call home, we had to dial a stream of something like 18 numbers before the international country code and phone number and the call went through 2 out of 4 times but would often disconnect. </p>

<p>Backup # 2 - Ty was traveling with his girlfriend who knew his protocol. She would stay with him and support him if sick. The leaders nodded agreement to this at the airport. And since I was told the kids are never left alone with a leader I thought they would be chaperoned.</p>

<p>Backup # 3 - I cornered three of the leaders at the airport for a final debrief, if he gets sick, he may not be able to take care of himself - don’t hesitate to call us --we are one phone call away, take him to a doctor, or test his blood. Abbey is capable. I also said, be afraid of Mt. Fuji. Ty has had altitude sickness before. If he gets altitude sickness he will be confused and unable to care for himself. He could die. Don’t take chances. Ty skies alot with us out west, so he knew when he was sick.
When Abbey asked to stay back with him she was harshly escorted out of the room and reprimanded to the bus. Off the tour goes, with the leaders who seem to be more interested in the next exciting event, rather than burdened with a sick kid - but that’s just my opinion. </p>

<p>Backup #4 - Ty had a note in his blood glucose meter (which doubled as his wallet) in Japanese and English explaining that he had insulin dependent diabetes and migraines. It had our telephone number and his doctors telephone number listed. That doesn’t help when you are in boxers in your room. (Yes, Ty had yen, he had a cash card and he could have come home on his own if…there’s that ugly word again…if… he could have thought clearly.) In fact, he told the leader that refused him the hospital that he wanted his lanyard and to go home. She told me this when she phoned me more than one hour after Ty’s heart stopped to ‘inform me’ that Ty was severely ill. </p>

<p>Is this the rest of the ugly story. NO. I’m not interested in telling ugly stories. I am interested in preventing them. If you want to do something…write your US congress and senate leaders and ask them to support the T HILL BILL. </p>

<p>Today its fairly easy to find out how many accidents and deaths an airline has, or how many workers were killed or injured on the job, but you can’t find out the reputation of the company taking your most valuable child overseas.</p>

<p>God I miss you Ty. I miss your monster hugs; Your bright eyes; Your sense of humor; Your laugh; I miss your love!! Walk on sunshine baby! Light the way. You are my hero.</p>

<p>Momsy</p>

47

<p>Hello, I am Tyler’s proud mom. </p>

<p>When we label we disable. Ty was not diabetic, he had diabetes, and he mastered it.</p>

<p>Our son was a diabetes advocate who took his health seriously. Ty presented before numerous diabetes organizations and was a role model. The description that that Ty ‘suffered’ from diabetes is the authors - not ours. Ty had near normal blood sugars HbA1c of 5.6-7 without severe hypo or hyper glycemia (ever) for the diabetes literate. Ty never needed third party intervention. He was a responsible, A honor roll student who overcame adversity and knew how to love. At 15, 6’2" and 215 lbs he was awarded MVP in rugby. He was the youngest on his team. He was also a junior officer in Deca. He is not a dumb kid, and even if he was, that doesn’t excuse them. Everyone with disability deserves an equal opportunity. Ty’s death is a huge loss, not just for us but for our community.</p>

<p>To answer the question is the story really that bad, No - the story is worse! It is so much worse. You cannot imagine. There is only so much we can stand, and only so much room to report. We answer the questions, they write the story.</p>

<p>My husband and I tried for almost two months to reconcile and reform with People to People. No Go. They are more concerned about shareholder values than the safety of the kids. They are corrupt. The truth will prevail in court. </p>

<p>Am I angry? I am wounded. I am crushed. I am grieving. We are being treated for post traumatic stress disorder. You have no idea. The pain is beyond comprehension. </p>

<p>We of course, do not want to be in this position. How daunting, to take on a corporation that flies Eisenhower as a banner! We were freed from that once we read the N Y Times 6/10/58 article People to People dissolves. </p>

<p>There is no alternative, we have no other choice. The only course we had was to file a suit. The money…that’s the system. The real issue at stake here, the message I want you to know, is that kids are not safe with this company, and Ty is not the only one to die in 50 years as we were told. </p>

<p>We are seeking justice, accountability, resitution and most importantly, reform because Jeff Thomas, CEO, refused to take down their promise of a solid safety record and a golden standard of safety off the student ambassador website. We want to protect other children.</p>

<p>Did Ty have fun? Yes. He was ecstatic. This was such an unbelievable opportunity for him. Does that make it okay? </p>

<p>We believe in international understanding and will work diligently towards a T HILL Safety Standards Bill that will mandate how these organizations acquire and train staff, protect children and report their track records so parents can make informed choices. Until then, please know…no such thing exists. There are very few safety standards outside of background checks on host families. (Please visit <a href=“http://www.tylerhill.org%5B/url%5D”>www.tylerhill.org</a> in one week to learn more about the T HILL BILL for Safety Standards)</p>

<p>As to fall back plans… Yes. I spent $1000 on International Sprint phones and more money on an international calling plan. Cell phones were supposed to be prohibited but I told them it was a matter of life and health.
Ty’s phone failed him, and mine failed me when we arrived in Tokyo. </p>

<p>After we returned, many kids were phoning Ty’s cell to hear his voice. I took the phone and asked Sprint to cancel the service and refund my money because the phones failed and Ty died. Spring refused because we had a two year contract. Imagine!! I couldn’t speak out about P2P at the time because of the pending lawsuit but I could about spring. I fired off a complaint to John Kerry at the Senate oversite committee and with Lori Swanson, Attorney General for MN. Ms. Swanson is working on the Cellular User Bill of Rights. Did they cancel the service. No, I switched our plan to AT&T and waited for the cancellation fees to arrive. Senator Coleman’s office advocated for us and we received a credit for the term of the contract, not the phones. So what? If Sprint would have just credited the service, we would have walked away. If People to People would have admitted their fault and changed their protocols, and perhaps offered a perpetual scholarship to create Tyler’s legacy, we would probably have walked away.</p>

<p>P2P ‘strongly’ discourages calls between students and parents but so what - we didn’t listen. I tried phoning Ty at his host parents but couldn’t get through. The kids move around alot and their itinerary that we received the week before they left is not the one they followed. To contact Ty, I had to call corporate get the hotel four days in advance to send him a fed/ex care package full of love stuff. We did email to/from during his host stay. </p>

<p>When we were in Japan during the horror, we were given a cell phone to call home, we had to dial a stream of something like 18 numbers before the international country code and phone number and the call went through 2 out of 4 times but would often disconnect. </p>

<p>Backup # 2 - Ty was traveling with his girlfriend who knew his protocol. She would stay with him and support him if sick. The leaders nodded agreement to this at the airport. And since I was told the kids are never left alone with a leader I thought they would be chaperoned.</p>

<p>Backup # 3 - I cornered three of the leaders at the airport for a final debrief, if he gets sick, he may not be able to take care of himself - don’t hesitate to call us --we are one phone call away, take him to a doctor, or test his blood. Abbey is capable. I also said, be afraid of Mt. Fuji. Ty has had altitude sickness before. If he gets altitude sickness he will be confused and unable to care for himself. He could die. Don’t take chances. Ty skies alot with us out west, so he knew when he was sick.
When Abbey asked to stay back with him she was harshly escorted out of the room and reprimanded to the bus. Off the tour goes, with the leaders who seem to be more interested in the next exciting event, rather than burdened with a sick kid - but that’s just my opinion. </p>

<p>Backup #4 - Ty had a note in his blood glucose meter (which doubled as his wallet) in Japanese and English explaining that he had insulin dependent diabetes and migraines. It had our telephone number and his doctors telephone number listed. That doesn’t help when you are in boxers in your room. (Yes, Ty had yen, he had a cash card and he could have come home on his own if…there’s that ugly word again…if… he could have thought clearly.) In fact, he told the leader that refused him the hospital that he wanted his lanyard and to go home. She told me this when she phoned me more than one hour after Ty’s heart stopped to ‘inform me’ that Ty was severely ill. </p>

<p>Is this the rest of the ugly story. NO. I’m not interested in telling ugly stories. I am interested in preventing them. If you want to do something…write your US congress and senate leaders and ask them to support the T HILL BILL. </p>

<p>Today its fairly easy to find out how many accidents and deaths an airline has, or how many workers were killed or injured on the job, but you can’t find out the reputation of the company taking your most valuable child overseas.</p>

<p>God I miss you Ty. I miss your monster hugs; Your bright eyes; Your sense of humor; Your laugh; I miss your love!! Walk on sunshine baby! Light the way. You are my hero.</p>

<p>Momsy</p>

48

<p>Hello, I am Tyler’s proud mom. </p>

<p>When we label we disable. Ty was not diabetic, he had diabetes, and he mastered it.</p>

<p>Our son was a diabetes advocate who took his health seriously. Ty presented before numerous diabetes organizations and was a role model. The description that that Ty ‘suffered’ from diabetes is the authors - not ours. Ty had near normal blood sugars HbA1c of 5.6-7 without severe hypo or hyper glycemia (ever) for the diabetes literate. Ty never needed third party intervention. He was a responsible, A honor roll student who overcame adversity and knew how to love. At 15, 6’2" and 215 lbs he was awarded MVP in rugby. He was the youngest on his team. He was also a junior officer in Deca. He is not a dumb kid, and even if he was, that doesn’t excuse them. Everyone with disability deserves an equal opportunity. Ty’s death is a huge loss, not just for us but for our community.</p>

<p>To answer the question is the story really that bad, No - the story is worse! It is so much worse. You cannot imagine. There is only so much we can stand, and only so much room to report. We answer the questions, they write the story.</p>

<p>My husband and I tried for almost two months to reconcile and reform with People to People. No Go. They are more concerned about shareholder values than the safety of the kids. They are corrupt. The truth will prevail in court. </p>

<p>Am I angry? I am wounded. I am crushed. I am grieving. We are being treated for post traumatic stress disorder. You have no idea. The pain is beyond comprehension. </p>

<p>We of course, do not want to be in this position. How daunting, to take on a corporation that flies Eisenhower as a banner! We were freed from that once we read the N Y Times 6/10/58 article People to People dissolves. </p>

<p>There is no alternative, we have no other choice. The only course we had was to file a suit. The money…that’s the system. The real issue at stake here, the message I want you to know, is that kids are not safe with this company, and Ty is not the only one to die in 50 years as we were told. </p>

<p>We are seeking justice, accountability, resitution and most importantly, reform because Jeff Thomas, CEO, refused to take down their promise of a solid safety record and a golden standard of safety off the student ambassador website. We want to protect other children.</p>

<p>Did Ty have fun? Yes. He was ecstatic. This was such an unbelievable opportunity for him. Does that make it okay? </p>

<p>We believe in international understanding and will work diligently towards a T HILL Safety Standards Bill that will mandate how these organizations acquire and train staff, protect children and report their track records so parents can make informed choices. Until then, please know…no such thing exists. There are very few safety standards outside of background checks on host families. (Please visit <a href=“http://www.tylerhill.org%5B/url%5D”>www.tylerhill.org</a> in one week to learn more about the T HILL BILL for Safety Standards)</p>

<p>As to fall back plans… Yes. I spent $1000 on International Sprint phones and more money on an international calling plan. Cell phones were supposed to be prohibited but I told them it was a matter of life and health.
Ty’s phone failed him, and mine failed me when we arrived in Tokyo. </p>

<p>After we returned, many kids were phoning Ty’s cell to hear his voice. I took the phone and asked Sprint to cancel the service and refund my money because the phones failed and Ty died. Spring refused because we had a two year contract. Imagine!! I couldn’t speak out about P2P at the time because of the pending lawsuit but I could about spring. I fired off a complaint to John Kerry at the Senate oversite committee and with Lori Swanson, Attorney General for MN. Ms. Swanson is working on the Cellular User Bill of Rights. Did they cancel the service. No, I switched our plan to AT&T and waited for the cancellation fees to arrive. Senator Coleman’s office advocated for us and we received a credit for the term of the contract, not the phones. So what? If Sprint would have just credited the service, we would have walked away. If People to People would have admitted their fault and changed their protocols, and perhaps offered a perpetual scholarship to create Tyler’s legacy, we would probably have walked away.</p>

<p>P2P ‘strongly’ discourages calls between students and parents but so what - we didn’t listen. I tried phoning Ty at his host parents but couldn’t get through. The kids move around alot and their itinerary that we received the week before they left is not the one they followed. To contact Ty, I had to call corporate get the hotel four days in advance to send him a fed/ex care package full of love stuff. We did email to/from during his host stay. </p>

<p>When we were in Japan during the horror, we were given a cell phone to call home, we had to dial a stream of something like 18 numbers before the international country code and phone number and the call went through 2 out of 4 times but would often disconnect. </p>

<p>Backup # 2 - Ty was traveling with his girlfriend who knew his protocol. She would stay with him and support him if sick. The leaders nodded agreement to this at the airport. And since I was told the kids are never left alone with a leader I thought they would be chaperoned.</p>

<p>Backup # 3 - I cornered three of the leaders at the airport for a final debrief, if he gets sick, he may not be able to take care of himself - don’t hesitate to call us --we are one phone call away, take him to a doctor, or test his blood. Abbey is capable. I also said, be afraid of Mt. Fuji. Ty has had altitude sickness before. If he gets altitude sickness he will be confused and unable to care for himself. He could die. Don’t take chances. Ty skies alot with us out west, so he knew when he was sick.
When Abbey asked to stay back with him she was harshly escorted out of the room and reprimanded to the bus. Off the tour goes, with the leaders who seem to be more interested in the next exciting event, rather than burdened with a sick kid - but that’s just my opinion. </p>

<p>Backup #4 - Ty had a note in his blood glucose meter (which doubled as his wallet) in Japanese and English explaining that he had insulin dependent diabetes and migraines. It had our telephone number and his doctors telephone number listed. That doesn’t help when you are in boxers in your room. (Yes, Ty had yen, he had a cash card and he could have come home on his own if…there’s that ugly word again…if… he could have thought clearly.) In fact, he told the leader that refused him the hospital that he wanted his lanyard and to go home. She told me this when she phoned me more than one hour after Ty’s heart stopped to ‘inform me’ that Ty was severely ill. </p>

<p>Is this the rest of the ugly story. NO. I’m not interested in telling ugly stories. I am interested in preventing them. If you want to do something…write your US congress and senate leaders and ask them to support the T HILL BILL. </p>

<p>Today its fairly easy to find out how many accidents and deaths an airline has, or how many workers were killed or injured on the job, but you can’t find out the reputation of the company taking your most valuable child overseas.</p>

<p>God I miss you Ty. I miss your monster hugs; Your bright eyes; Your sense of humor; Your laugh; I miss your love!! Walk on sunshine baby! Light the way. You are my hero.</p>

<p>Momsy</p>

49

<p>More about People to People as a scam:
<a href=“http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/people_to_people.html[/url]”>http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/people_to_people.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Horrible.</p>

50

<p>EmeraldKity, where is your D going? I ask because if it’s that remote, ensure they at least have satellite access and your D has evacuation (by heli) insurance. Hopefully you will be surprised, I know even when up on Kilimanjaro awhile back, the native guides have had cells.</p>

51

<p>Well I did check and it isn’t as remote as I thought- they don’t really have much water except for the water they are bringing- but they are going to be staying for a good deal of the time at a school where they will be working ( and there are dorms there- in Dunkwa-on-Offin there are hospitals and everything- I mean they are going to be installing banks of computers- so it has to be much more civilized than the National geographic image I had in my head of them sleeping by a fire to keep away the wild animals) :rolleyes:</p>

<p>They are going to be doing some hiking and such- but a good friend of hers is in charge of the health care ( and she will be informing adults of precautions- I am totally comfortable with this girl being on the lookout- she is so responsible, you have no idea)</p>

<p>Tommorrow, we are going to an adult chaperones house to help pack containers & I am going to go help & will make sure I get a chance to talk to him- He is also the nana ( chief) of the village ( I think they have several) and he may have some tips on helping her acclimate easier.</p>

52

<p>EK, wherever your d. goes, it is a good idea to buy travel medical insurance with a evacuation coverage – the cost is quite reasonable compared with the risk it covers.</p>

53

<p>Sunshine Mom: I am so sorry that this happened… and thank you for telling us all the extra precautions you took. Sharing your story and working for change will undoubtedly keep this from happening to other children and teens.</p>

54

<p>sunshine Mom; My condolences for your tragic and unnecessary loss. Thank you for fighting not only for your child, but for all the other children. :(</p>

55

<p>Dear Sunshine Mom.Thank you for your courage to help others.<br>
LA</p>

56

<p>we do have travel ins but it is bought through the group- and required for everyone- I will double check exactly what it covers</p>

57

<p>Sunshine Mom,</p>

<p>I am so very sorry for the loss that you and your family have experienced and I applaud your efforts to prevent this from happening again. Your family is in my prayers.</p>

58

<p>Sunshine Mom for educating others. I do not know you but as a mom of a son with Type 1 diabetes, I hear you loud and clear. I am very sorry for your loss.</p>

<p>EK, make certain that your Evacuation Insurance allows YOU to stipulate which hospital YOU want for evacuation. Some policies will only cover evacuation to hospitals of their choice (meaning to another hospital in that country rather than back to USA).</p>

59

<p>I am sorry for your loss.</p>

60

<p>Dear College Confidential</p>

<p>I am relieved to tell you that our wrongful death lawsuit has ended. However, as part of the settlement agreement, both parties have agreed that they will not characterize, impune, or make disparaging remarks. Therefore, please remove any remarks on your website that would compromise the settlement agreement.</p>

<p>Tyler Hill’s parents “civil” wrongful death settlement agreement was made weeks after the Hennepin County Court, Judge Charles Porter, residing issued the following order:</p>

<p>… The above entitled matter came before Judge Charles A. Porter, Jr. on April 23, 2009 for a hearing on Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgement and Plaintiff’s Motion to Add a Claim for Punitive Damages. Charles T. Hvass, Jr. Esq. appeard for the Plaintiffs. Peter VanBergen Esq. and Christopher Liijima Esq. appeared for Defendants Ambassadors Group, Susan Stahr, Pat Veum-Smith, Josh Aberle, and Angela Hanson. Thomas Nelson, Esq. appeared for Defendants docleaf Limited, David Perl, and Larry McGonnell.</p>

<p>Based upon the evidence adduced, the argument of counsel, and all of the files, records, and proceedings herein,</p>

<p>IT IS ORDERED:</p>

<ol>
<li>Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgement is hereby GRANTED in part and DENIED in part as follows:</li>
</ol>

<p>a. Plaintiff’s wrongful death, breach of contract, invasion of privacy, MInnesota Health Records Act, and fraud claims remain active for trial.
b. Plaintiff’s Consumer Fraud and False Advertising claims are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.
2. Plaintiffs’ Motion to Add a Claim for Punitive Damages is GRANTED. Plaintiffs may claim punitive damages as discussed in the memorandum.</p>

<ol>
<li>The attached CONFIDENTIAL memorandum is Incorporated herein.</li>
</ol>

<p>LET JUDGEMENT BE ENTERED ACCORDINGLY.</p>

<p>ON June 22, 2009 Jeff Thomas CEO of Ambassadors Group the for profit parent of People to People Student Ambassadors released the following statement:</p>

<p>“Through hindsight we can see that there are steps that all of the leaders should have taken that could have prevented Tyler’s death on June 29, 2007, during a trip to Tokyo, Japan, and regret that they were not taken,” said Thomas, who is also chief executive officer of Ambassador Programs, Inc. “We are very sorry for Tyler’s death and the Hill Family’s loss and the impact it has had on many. We continue to review all policies surrounding students with pre-existing conditions, including diabetes protocols, to refine our procedures.”</p>

<p>[<a href=“http://www.www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/06/p2p_hill.html#ixzz0O76eY3bL[/url]”>http://www.www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/06/p2p_hill.html#ixzz0O76eY3bL&lt;/a&gt; ]</p>

<p>Recently, Tyler’s Family Released the following press release:</p>

<p>Wrongful Death Lawsuit for Tyler R. Hill Against Ambassadors Group, docleaf, et al., Officially Settled</p>

<p>MOUND, Minn., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ – Allen and Sheryl Hill of Mound, Minn., today announced the official settlement of their civil action for wrongful death of their 16-year-old son, Tyler Hill; invasion of privacy; and fraud against Ambassadors Group Inc., People to People International, docleaf Ltd. and other individuals. The Hills signed the release on July 30. The terms of the settlement are confidential. Tyler died on a People to People Student Ambassador Trip to Japan on June 29, 2007. Since Tyler’s death, the Hill’s have been on a passionate mission to protect other traveling youth and have sought accountability, justice, restitution and reform.</p>

<p>REFORM: Traveling Youth’s Standards of Safety Legislation</p>

<p>The Hill’s mission for the safety of kids participating in travel programs is far from over. They seek reform through a bi-partisan federal law and the Traveling Youth’s Standards of Safety (TY’s SOS legislation), and have engaged Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Congressman Erik Paulsen (R-MN). The pursued legislation is to ensure safety measures, sanctions and penalties are in place to protect traveling youth. No safety standards, sanctions or penalties exist to protect children’s health and safety rights while entrusted to third parties, especially during travel programs. Children have been denied health care, died, hurt, abandoned, raped and suffered severe illnesses, while traveling with some student travel programs. There is currently no oversight committee watch dogging the student travel industry.</p>

<p>Danielle Grijalva, director for the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students, applauds the Hill’s advocacy for safety and sanctions during travel abroad programs. She said, “I receive numerous complaints about other travel agencies from children and their parents about supervisors being intoxicated, molestations, children being denied health care when they are sick, unsanitary living quarters and ‘unaccounted for’ children. Parents need to inform themselves of the safety record of agencies and supervisors they are entrusting their kids to.” Grijalva recommends parents contact foreign police authorities to report abuse and then contact local, state and federal agencies to report child endangerment. Until laws are passed to impose sanctions and potential imprisonment, Grijalva believes that egregious stories like Tyler’s will remain all too common.</p>

<p>ACCOUNTABILITY & RESTITUTION: Judge Porter’s Order</p>

<p>On June 10, 2009, Judge Charles Porter granted a motion permitting the Hills to amend their complaint to add claims for punitive damages against Ambassadors Group Inc.; Ambassador Programs; People to People Student Ambassadors; docleaf Ltd.; Dr. David Perl and Larry McGonnell, both in England; and teacher leaders Sue Stahr, Pat Veum-Smith, Angela Hanson and Josh Aberle of Minnesota. The court’s order is public but its memorandum is confidential.</p>

<p>The Hills have achieved accountability and restitution. Ambassadors Group Inc. CEO Jeff Thomas released a public apology on June 22, 2009. The apology stated, " … there are steps that all of the leaders should have taken that could have prevented Tyler’s death … "</p>

<p>Evidence before Hennepin County Court</p>

<p>Sheryl Hill was told by one of the leaders, that on June 26, 2007, Tyler thought he had altitude sickness after climbing Mt. Fuji, and he wanted to go to the doctor. The leader gave him water, and told him to go to his room and work through it. Afterward, Veum-Smith, Hanson and Stahr joined Aberle in his room, where all of the leaders drank beer until sometime between 12:30 and 12:45 a.m. Reiko Tanaka, who was employed as an English-speaking Japanese guide for the People to People trip in June of 2007, testified that she did not notice anything different in the appearance, demeanor or energy of Stahr the next day.</p>

<p>Stahr was a student ambassador leader on a trip to New Zealand where another student died. The Hills were not informed of her prior safety record. While Tyler was dying in the hospital, Aberle and Hanson went through Tyler’s personal belongings and took photographs of his medications and insulin. All four leaders had training on dehydration. Tyler had been vomiting for hours and asked for enough water to feed a family. He was held back for the day’s activities; his heart stopped less than 10 hours later. Despite specific training to contact the parents or seek medical attention when a child shows ‘moderate’ signs of dehydration, no phone calls were made to the Hills until Tyler’s heart had stopped for more than an hour.</p>

<p>Ambassadors Group; David Perl, MB; Larry McGonnell; and docleaf were sued for invasion of privacy and for violating Minnesota Statutes concerning privacy of medical records. Judge Porter ruled that the violations of the Minnesota Health Records Act and the claims for invasion of privacy were active for trial and denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment.</p>

<p>About Tyler Hill</p>

<p>Tyler Hill was born on June 6, 1991, on the anniversary of D-Day, in Edina, Minn. A natural athlete and honor roll student, Tyler was a first year MVP for rugby, a tight end in football, a winger in hockey and an advanced scuba diver. He was a junior officer of the Mound Westonka High School DECA club, and he discovered and reported a bomb threat to school authorities and was recognized for his actions. Ty will be remembered for his big smile and tender heart. He passed away on June 29, 2007, while on a People to People Student Ambassadors trip to Tokyo, Japan, apparently from severe dehydration. For more of Tyler’s story, visit [Details</a> About Tyler Hill’s Death During a People to People Student Ambassador Trip and the T Hill Bill for Safety Standards](<a href=“http://www.tylerhill.org%5DDetails”>http://www.tylerhill.org).</p>

<p>SOURCE Hill family</p>