Interview is Part of Multi-Year NBC News Investigation into Sequel
‘Children That Pay’ Airs Sunday, April 4 at 10pm ET on MSNBC
April 1, 2021 – For the first time on television, former Sequel Youth & Family Services employee Meghan Folkerson speaks out to NBC News’ Kate Snow about the death of 16-year-old resident Cornelius Frederick. The interview is part of the one-hour special, Children That Pay, airing Sunday, April 4 at 10pm ET/9pm CT on MSNBC.
Folkerson, who was Frederick’s former case manager at the Kalamazoo, Michigan facility, alleges that the company focused on profit, contributing to a culture on campus that she says was part of the reason for Cornelius’s death. Click here to watch a preview of the interview, which aired this morning on TODAY.
The special is a comprehensive look at NBC News’ multi-year investigation into Sequel Youth and Family Services, whose staff has been accused of acts of neglect and abuse around the country. During the broadcast, Snow will also explain how tax dollars earmarked to help some of the nation’s most vulnerable children have fueled the industry of youth group homes.
Children That Pay will feature interviews with Oregon State Senator Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis), Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program investigator Christy Johnson, Sequel Executive & Senior Director of Compliance and Quality Management Marianne Birmingham, former residents and more.
In response to the investigation, Sequel tells NBC News: “We remain steadfast in our mission to provide compassionate, therapeutic care knowing that the overwhelming majority of state child-serving agencies in the United States continue to find our services to be essential and operating at, or exceeding, their highest standards.”
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For More Information:
Dominique Cuce
NBC News
e: Dominique.Cuce@nbcuni.com
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