BALTIMORE — The state shut down Maryland’s National Guard camp for at-risk teens this month after inspectors found plumbing issues had made the building where teens live and study uninhabitable.
Adjutant Gen. Maj. Janeen Birckhead shut the program down in early September, her department said.
“The Freestate ChalleNGe Academy is currently experiencing unforeseen maintenance issues impacting the cadets’ living quarters and educational facilities, which have led to the unfortunate decision to cease operations and send cadets of Class #65 home,” Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Officer Maj. Benjamin Hughes told The Baltimore Sun in a statement last week.
“Parents were notified on Sept. 9, 2025, and at the time of pickup, received a letter explaining the situation. The Maryland Military Department’s primary concern remains the safety and welfare of our cadets,” Hughes said.
Applicants to the program must be at least 15½ years old, be at risk of dropping out of high school or have already dropped out and may not be on probation or parole. The 17-month program, located on Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County, is free to attend.
Hughes said plumbing issues and a backed-up sewer made the living and educational quarters unlivable during repairs. The building will likely be dug out and replumbed, he said.
Administrators hope to reopen the program by January, he said, but it could take longer.
“It was going to be bigger and more disruptive than they thought when the problem first arose,” Hughes said. “We don’t know all the details yet but we’re trying to find homes for all the kiddos involved in the program.”
Nine cadets transferred to the Washington, D.C. ChalleNGe program; another four transferred to the New Jersey program, Hughes said.
The Freestate ChalleNGe Academy was created by national legislation in 1993 as “a voluntary, quasi-military program that aims to imbue at-risk youth with the values, life skills, education, and self-discipline needed to succeed as productive citizens,” per a 2023 Government Accountability Office report to Congress. It was one of 10 pilot ChalleNGe Academies.
The report found that systemic issues like low staff-to-cadet ratios persisted across a number of ChalleNGe Academy sites, and that National Guard personnel have not consistently performed required cooperative agreement audits.
Hughes said he could not speak to historic staffing levels but that current levels are appropriate.
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