State regulates church boarding schools after abuse allegations. ON SEPT. 7, 2022, ATTORNEY GENERAL SCHMITT and the State Department of Social Services (DSS) filed to close Agap. Updated: Dec 13, 2022 / 12:48 PM CST. The state has been fighting to close Agap ever since. Regretfully, child abuse and neglect have continued to rise and the work of Agape Ranch is needed now more than ever. I'm not trying to reach for the moon on this stuff, said Richard Fiene, a research psychologist who spent decades directing public welfare and child services agencies in Pennsylvania, but Id like to see kids in safe environments where they cant be restrained and someone can't put a knee in their back and hold them to the floor where they can't breathe. One student said staffers had branded him with a cross. It will stop providing service effective Jan. 20, according to a statement from the school for boys. One former Agape student who sued, Robert Bucklin, said the closure means justice "has finally prevailed. ET): After publication of this article, Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary disputed an account by former Agap student Lucas Francis. Several former Pinehaven students and staff members told CNN in 2012 that children were choked and assaulted at the ranch, accusations that Larsson denied and said were the work of Satan. You can start to heal., For his part, Breshears is grateful to be free. Just last summer, former students at a pair of Wyoming ranches alleged in an NBC investigation that they had been forced to perform backbreaking manual labor and subjected to traumatic physical and emotional abuse. Allegations of physical and sexual abuse at Agape and Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch prompted a state law in 2021 requiring stricter oversight of such facilities. Youre going to be dead or in prison three months after you turn 18.. (Knock her out! he can be heard saying.) And its not just Missouri. Boarding schools fleeing abuse claims in other states find 'Promised Land' in Missouri . That's no secret, as news stories in The Christian. But the bills essentially became a referendum on one unregulated facility, the Pinehaven Christian Children's Ranch in St. Ignatius, Montana, whose founder showed up to hearings with supporters to argue against the change. I just kind of felt like I was on my own, said Schrag, 28, who now works in the oil industry in Texas. He says he was once ordered to perform 4,500 pushups for cussing and told if I didnt get it done, I couldnt eat my next meal. (Though Breshears says he couldnt do it, Agap denies ever denying a student a meal.) In 1996, Agap moved to a 200-acre ranch in Cedar County, Missouri. 2 min read. The program markets itself as a Christian school that turns around rebellious boys. Schrags parents said they were unaware of any abuse occurring at the facility; the school had promised close supervision and to redirect his anger in positive ways. By the time he ended up in the Padded Palace, he recalls, I was bleeding all over my head and hands. So he scrawled the words Fuck Agap on the wall using his own blood. (Clemensen says this was a nickname the boys had for an elbow injury, and denies the abuse.) in solitary confinement, handcuffed them to beds, Alabama Youth Residential Facility Abuse Prevention Act. In 2021, Paris Hilton, who has also been lobbying in Washington D.C., testified at a Utah Senate committee hearing about her own experience in a troubled-teen facility there, alleging that she was verbally, mentally, and physically abused, involuntarily drugged, and locked in isolation. They have law-enforcement ties, too. Circle of Hope closed in 2020, and its owners, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, face 101 felony charges, including statutory rape, abuse and neglect of a child. He is a manipulator, says Breshears. Award honors influential children's minister. Montana officials testified at hearings they had been frustrated by complaints registered against several programs that fell outside of regulation, and that some they didnt say which tried to avoid licensing by fraudulently claiming to be part of a church. The state of Missouri has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at Agap Boarding School, a Christian institution in the rural southwestern part of the state, a spokesman for the state's Highway Patrol confirmed Friday. I dont want another kid to have to go through what I went through, Schrag said. And in at least 14 other states, education and child welfare agencies exempt boarding schools from licensing requirements if they are privately owned or privately funded. 25, 2021 at 2:05 PM PDT. Agape Boarding School Abuse Lawsuit - Pennsylvania Schools Details: WebFormer students of Agape from Alabama, Texas, and Michigan have filed two civil lawsuits against the Boarding School for multiple charges that include physical, agape ranch abuse Verified 5 days ago On Dec. 21, a judge issued a preliminary injunction that will keep him off the list until he receives a full trial (with testimony and subpoenaed witnesses) or until further Order of this Court. In the meantime, Clemensen is prevented from having physical contact with students, but can continue working at the school. I am proof that money doesnt protect against abuse, Hilton told state legislators, speaking in support of a bill that would better protect children in troubled-youth treatment programs. On cue, at least two others started beating up an unsuspecting student to create a distraction. But hes not complaining. Hunt was one of a number of SBC leaders named in a 2022 report from the investigative firm Guidepost Solutions hired by the denomination in 2021 to resolve long-running conflicts over sexual abuse. They allowed it to happen.. Colton Schrag, who spent years at Agape Boarding School in southwest Missouri, where dozens of former students have described experiencing abuse, testifies during a committee hearing on Feb. 10, 2021. Relevance: This course is designed for master's level counselors, addiction professionals, and nurses who have direct client contact. But under Missouri law, it was up to Cedar County prosecutor Ty Gaither to file charges. February 28, 2023. (Image: KY3 / Video screengrab) Nineteen former students of an embattled fundamentalist boarding school in Missouri have made new claims of brutal physical and sexual abuse in court filings this month. The plaintiffs in the newest cases, filed June 15 in Vernon County . Recently, individuals associated with Agap have been accused of a growing list of crimes. The legislation would require the schools to register with the state, and create paths for the state to conduct safety inspections of the facilities and shut them down after abuse allegations. I watched him choke, slam kids into the floor, and just basically beat the shit out of them. Schmitt last year asked a Cedar County judge to close Agape, but the judge had not yet issued a decision. The result, experts said, is that in much of the country, no one from the government checks to ensure that these facilities, often in remote regions, meet basic standards before children are enrolled. In 1992, the Clemensens announced to their troubled wards that they were moving to a promised land of sorts: an old Air Force base six miles outside of tiny Othello, Washington. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Riley Olson and His crew-help the students start and progress colts raised on the ranch, and each year they have a public auction and the young men that are a part of the program show the horse and ride him through the sale. The committee is considering bills introduced by Ingle and a Republican colleague last month to give the Missouri Department of Social Services oversight of religious boarding schools. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. I shadowed a staff member for about three days, we didnt go over procedures, no restraint training, no discipline training really no clear set of rules that the students werent allowed to break., It was not unusual for physical restraints to last four hours or longer, and leave bruises on the children, according to Clidence and three former students. W Minnesota has even less control. I had a staff member tell me were wasting our time giving you a diploma because youre not even worth the paper its going to cost to print it on, said Schrag. . By JIM SALTER. Child welfare officials in Washington cited Agap for overcrowding and poor sanitation, according to a 1995 newspaper article. Clemensen picked the state specifically because of its lack of regulation, he told a reporter in 2002, and said the school would leave Missouri if required to get a license. The law many former students of schools like Agap see as a model comes from an unlikely state to scrap religious exemptions: Alabama. I have concerns about every inch of that place, County Commissioner Sue Miller said. Ellie Hill Smith, a state lawmaker from Missoula, was concerned that this meant the state had no way of ensuring children were safe in these programs. Clemensen, who left the school from 2008 to 2018, says he has two masters degrees, in education and counseling and psychology, and would challenge the boys thinking processes, and he still does that to this day., Breshears and others paint a different picture. That . Children said pastors and staff members at both facilities choked and punched them, kept them in solitary confinement, handcuffed them to beds and forced them to box each other. The next home at The Ranch is for youth aging-out of foster care and the need is urgent. He likes to get in peoples heads.. Agaps handbook states it has a strict hands-off policy regarding the students, and does not use corporal punishment. Nonetheless, the outcome of the civil suits is far from certain. Its education and human services departments do not license religious schools, or any private boarding schools, and child protective services does not have the authority to investigate allegations of abuse or neglect at them; instead, they must refer those reports to law enforcement. And that's what it's all about.. I got picked up by the Cedar County Sheriffs Department, and I tried to tell the guy, like, Theyre beating us, dont take me back there, he says. They denied it. IN THE MONTHS AFTER HIS ARRIVAL, Breshears feelings about Agap changed. LAST MARCH, BRESHEARS SAYS, he was on kitchen duty when a staffer said some chocolate milk was missing from the fridge, and accused Breshears and several other students of stealing it. Agape Ranch plans out programs, fund raisers, and community outreach monthly. The posts went viral even receiving a thumbs-up from Paris Hilton. Though Ms. Allred's office has spent months soliciting a cash settlement, we were unaware that a suit would be filed. Despite the concerns former students have raised recently, no state agency has the ability under Missouri law to regularly inspect how children at Agap are treated. . Staff members at Agap don't have to go through background checks, and the facility is not required to document how or why children are restrained. Agape Boarding school has had its share of abuse allegations over the years. Right away, staff shaved his head, handed him an orange shirt and a pair of Wranglers, moved him into a dorm that looked like Marine barracks, and introduced him to a dizzying litany of rules. If you need expert assistance finding the right program for your boy, fill in this inquiry form or call 888-363-0888 (24/7) for a free, confidential information service (not affiliated with Agape). "If you have children who are fearful that they're going to be sent back to these facilities, you see a lot of instances where children might recant their stories," said Caitlin Whaley, director of legislation for the department. And he said, No, theyre not., In 1996, the Clemensens purchased 40 acres just outside of town. ), Other students describe staffers encouraging classmates to fight one another, and cutting off communication with loved ones when they complained. Editors Note: This story, which appears in the January 2023 issue of Rolling Stone, has been updated to include additional details on court cases that had not been decided until after the print deadline. Related: I am proof that money doesnt protect against abuse, Hilton told state legislators, speaking in support of a bill that would better protect children in troubled-youth treatment programs. Wednesday afternoon, a House committee questions Missouri Department of Social Services leaders about their investigations into boarding schools. Full Gala Taping. The site was littered with old barrels, wood piles, abandoned cars, and insulation containing asbestos. Though he is 16, he is a freshman; Agaps curriculum is often not compatible with local requirements. Agape Boarding School in Stockton has been the subject of state and local investigations and several lawsuits from former students. This created an environment ripe for abuse to happen. By 14, Breshears says, he was fully in staffers crosshairs. He says one told local police that he had escaped from a Nazi camp.. Churches of Christ don't have enough preachers to fill all the open pulpits in our fellowship. When 19-year-old Rebekah Cooper started her mission, she had to give up her first name . They moved their wards in and set them to work clearing the site and fixing the property. Missouri previously had virtually no . Home to a population of 1,600, it has a tiny main square, the worlds largest processor of eastern black walnuts, and 21 churches. The boarding school typically has about 150 boys enrolled, ages 12 to 17, and they share the ranch with farm and exotic animals, including cows, horses, llamas, water buffalo, camels and zebras, according to the schools website. Pour Salt Down Your Drain At Night, Here's Why, Tyler Kingkade and Liz Brown and Keith Morrison and Rachel White and Andrew Williams and Javier Rodriguez. After abuse allegations at Circle of Hope Girls Ranch, a religious boarding school near Agap, began spreading on TikTok last spring, the Cedar County Sheriffs Department opened an investigation, which the state attorney general joined and is ongoing. Cedar County Prosecutor Gaither says, with the large number of people investigators have been interviewing in the case, hes pleased to have the assistance of the attorney generals office. Related: More than a dozen people reported abuse at a religious boarding school in rural Missouri before the owners' daughter launched a campaign that got action. I was just like, Screw it, he says. They would say, Youre nothing. One of them is Robert Graves, a student turned staffer who joined as a sheriffs deputy and married Kathy and Jims daughter, and is listed as a member of the board of an Agap-affiliated church. In September 2021, he charged five Agap staff members with a total of 13 counts of third-degree assault, the lowest degree of felony. Agape now has roughly 60 students, about half of the population the school had in early 2021 when the Missouri Highway Patrol and DSS launched an investigation into abuse allegations. Montana carved out a religious exemption when it set up a new system for licensing youth facilities and reform schools in 2007. Address . After being charged with more than 100 felonies last year linked to allegations of child sex abuse, physical abuse, endangerment and neglect, the owners of a now-defunct Missouri girls ranch . Contact Agape International Missions Email: info@aim4asia.org Phone: 916.784.2800. These rules and policies are for their son's success and protection. After each event, the team assesses what went well, what could be done better, and how many children/foster families were positively impacted. Circle of Hope was opened in 2006 by Boyd Householder, a former Agap employee, as a school for rebellious teenage girls. But instead of the therapeutic environment the schools leaders promised, Schrag and 11 others who were sent to Agap as children from the late 1990s up to last year, as well as four former staff members, told NBC News they saw Agap workers hold boys down and hit them. I believe the community is aware. Jim and Kathy appeared at the hospital a few weeks later. All Rights reserved. He would later help stage an uprising as an attempt to get thrown out of the school. McCrary said his office has received complaints about Agap, and that theyve all been investigated as far as it could go. He called Graves a very good deputy. McCrary said that he ensures there is no conflict of interest when investigating Agap complaints by involving other agencies, like the social services department. First published on January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM. Thank you for your generous support [] Share. Missouri has been a particular hotbed for religious schools since 1982, when the state passed a law exempting faith-based residential child-care facilities from state oversight. In May, his daughter Amanda and women who attended Circle of Hope began posting videos on TikTok describing violent restraints, starvation and emotional abuse at the ranch. Its just a very scary place to be, Bradney said. More than 60% of the children in our county are being placed outside of our county due to the lack of foster homes in our community. There was a small room down a dark staircase with blue padded floors and holes punched in the wall. The curriculum included traditional math and English. Former students and their attorneys allege that for years Clemensen has been a toxic presence at the school, encouraging his staff to use violence to maintain order. KANSAS CITY (AP) Maggie Drew's dad sent her to Circle . (The recommendations are not public, so the implicated staff members are unknown.) Agape Baptist Church owns and operates the private boarding school for boys in Stockton, MO. Agap did not respond to repeated requests for comment and interviews via phone, email and a letter left at the schools reception desk. Several lawsuits filed on behalf of former students also have named Agape and Circle of Hope. (NBC News presented a copy of Clidences nondisparagement agreement to Agap to confirm or dispute its authenticity, but the school did not respond.). By then, Circle of Hope had shut down after the state removed dozens of its students. After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily . Church was on Wednesday and three times on Sunday. So they were all, in my book, guilty of association, said Schrag. It appeared to be a vast improvement over his previous digs. Meanwhile, Agap has phased out the boarding school, instead running multiple group homes on its property, which detractors fear is a shell game aimed at shielding it from the new laws. Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch, a nearby Christian boarding school for girls, was shut down in 2020. Amanda, then 29, says her parents kicked her out when she was 17. Cant make those decisions until weve had an opportunity to review the investigative reports, and those are being put together, said Gaither. January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM I was scared I would get in trouble, and just make everything worse for me, said Francis, whose account was first reported by the Kansas City Star. Askins reached out to Child Protective Services and then shared the video with the Householders estranged daughter, Amanda. 24 homes where foster children can receive the support they need in order to mature in all aspects of their lives. The Thrive program will provide housing and mentorship for young adults during their college or trade school career. The site, designed as a Christian camp, had cabins, a shower facility, a mess hall, and a small chapel. MANY OF THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST Agap staffers are easily found on podcasts and interviews on YouTube. Other punishments, the former students and staff members said, included forcing boys to stare at a wall for hours, limiting meals to peanut butter sandwiches, and requiring students to haul rocks outside from one pile to another. In civil suits, Agap students describe being choked with rebar and electrical cords, pushed through drywall, having their noses broken, and hit in the testicles hard enough to cause traumatic groin injury. They say several boys attempted to hang themselves, in what they call a pandemic among students. Agap, through its attorney, denies the allegations, and says that no student there has ever killed himself. 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