It could last for days on end. The foothills of the Ozarks sat in the distance. In November, Schrag joined close to two dozen men and women protesting outside Agap, holding signs that read Torture Is Not Treatment and Lies Wont Protect You Anymore.. Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch, a nearby Christian boarding school for girls, was shut down in 2020. Roloff was perhaps best known for starting boarding homes in the 1960s to reform youth he described as parent-hating, Satan-worshipping, dope-taking immoral boys and girls, utilizing corporal punishment and isolation for children who disobeyed. Boarding schools fleeing abuse claims in other states find 'Promised Land' in Missouri . After abuse allegations at Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch, a religious boarding school near Agap, began spreading on TikTok last spring, the Cedar County Sheriff's Department opened an investigation, which the state attorney general joined and is ongoing. James Clemensen was a California State Highway patrolman with a death wish so extreme the wives of his fellow troopers forbade their husbands from hanging out with him. Agape Boarding School in Stockton has been the subject of state and local investigations and several lawsuits from former students. Mow Grass and Maintain Landscaping. So they were all, in my book, guilty of association, said Schrag. I just kind of felt like I was on my own, said Schrag, 28, who now works in the oil industry in Texas. The Clemensens sent 100 boys home, and moved the rest to base housing. Gaither declined to comment, but told the Cedar County Republican that Agap has the right to administer corporal punishment. . At the time of reporting, he is not yet in police custody, and an arrest warrant has been issued in his name. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lack of oversight is not limited to Missouri. 60% of the children in our county are being placed outside of our county due to the lack of foster homes in our community. They said that they were bringing me to my parents, he says. On the wooded roads near Agap, Amish men drive horse-drawn buggies; hundreds of members of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints live on a nearby compound called the Ranch., I got picked up by the Cedar County Sheriffs Department, and I tried to tell the guy, Theyre beating us,, says one former student. Lawmakers held hearings and introduced a bill that would give the state some oversight. Still, administrators at many of these schools insist they are a force for good. Agape Baptist Church owns and operates the private boarding school for boys in Stockton, MO. They noted that DSS had confirmed a case of child abuse and added the name of the Agap staffer responsible to the Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry, prohibiting him from working at a residential facility. In 1995, county officials shut them down after health inspectors found the school which by then had 140 students and 25 staffers had rotting food, holes in the walls large enough to allow rodents to enter, and exposed wiring. One killed in officer-involved shooting in Branson, Mo. A judge ordered the school closed only to put the order on hold after Agap fired the staffer in question. Agape Boarding School, a Christian reform school in Cedar County, is under investigation by local authorities and the Missouri Attorney Generals office. Anne Stych June 27, 2022. That meant calling out and even disciplining classmates for infractions like cursing, talking in line, refusing to pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, or talking about their pasts. The Republican-sponsored measure requires religious boarding schools to register with the state, pass a health department inspection and ensure that staff meet minimum standards. 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. Montana carved out a religious exemption when it set up a new system for licensing youth facilities and reform schools in 2007. For example, Arkansas allows boarding schools and child welfare agencies operated solely by a religious organization to be exempt from licensing. Agape also faces criminal charges . A 2007 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found thousands of abuse allegations between 1990 and 2007 in 2005 alone, 33 states reported 1,619 staff members involved in incidents of abuse. 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.) "For nearly three decades, students at Agape Boarding School have experienced emotional, mental, physical . Boyd and Stephanie Householder are facing more than 100 charges of sexual, physical and emotional abuse that allegedly took place at their faith-based boarding school in Missouri. The next home at The Ranch is for youth aging-out of foster care and the need is urgent. Families looking to adopt are invited to meet, play, and talk to these children, and we need help putting it on. When speaking with Rolling Stone, Clemensen denied the allegations against him and explained his approach to reform. One morning, he overheard one of the Clemensen daughters asking for help with a math problem, to which Bindley shot back a smartass remark. Contact Jorden Tramp, Donor Relations & Event Coordinator at. "I would argue Pinehaven is doing a very good job with very difficult kids.". Officials . The more Ingle learned about Circle of Hope, the more she came to believe that the problem wasn't limited to one school, but pointed to a systemic failure of state oversight. Paris Hilton's fellow PCS alums said they were stunned to see the heiress, who has amassed 12.6 million followers on Instagram alone, used the hashtag #BreakingCodeSilence in a social media post. Boyd opened the ranch in 2006 as a "school that he claimed could reform rebellious teenage girls," according to NBC News. (NBC News presented a copy of Clidences nondisparagement agreement to Agap to confirm or dispute its authenticity, but the school did not respond.). They say theyre still haunted by nightmares, hypervigilance, and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The site, designed as a Christian camp, had cabins, a shower facility, a mess hall, and a small chapel. In the aftermath of the criminal case, the state enacted the Alabama Youth Residential Facility Abuse Prevention Act in 2017. Agape Ranch is a thriving faith-based non-profit offering a forward-thinking and compassionate community-based solution to the foster care crisis facing America today. Bindley, who Clemensen calls one of Agaps top success stories, says the experience left him with lasting trauma, and left a stain on my childhood growing up., Colton Schrag says he decided to speak after PTSD drove him into counseling. The campus is also home to Agape Baptist Church. The troubled teen industry is a term used to refer to a broad range of youth residential programs aimed at struggling teenagers. 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 They were marched downstairs, where things escalated, until, Breshears alleges, he was lying facedown with a staffer sitting on his legs and two others digging their kneecaps into his pressure points. So far Clemensen has kept his name out of the registry; he lost an appeal on Nov. 17, and filed for a judicial review in circuit court, which granted him a temporary restraining order keeping him off the list. We are the best rehab . But legislation she pushed for several years to require these programs to be licensed by the state the same way as secular facilities repeatedly failed to even get a vote. Schrag says he tried to escape around 2007, when he was 15. There was a small room down a dark staircase with blue padded floors and holes punched in the wall. 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. Thanks to the generous support of The Frazier Family Foundation, Gala sponsors, Gala attendees, and the community, $369,402 was raised in support of the next two homes at The Ranch during the 2021 Legacy Gala: A Matter of Time! Netflixs Outer Banks Buries Itself in Ridiculous Season 3 But then, Breshears made friends and began to reconsider his allegiances particularly, he says, after he witnessed classmates getting restrained. In addition to the fired staffer, DSS has substantiated findings of child abuse or neglect against Bryan Clemensen and two other Agap employees, according to The Kansas City Star. 180 Ministries, a ministry of Teen Challenge, located in Denver Colorado, is a residential substance abuse . He is living in California with his mother, Jennifer, and attending a public high school. Bindley remembers learning quickly that retribution for breaking the rules was swift and sometimes painful. The stories of abuse told through reports by NBC News, the Kansas City Star and others prompted Missouri lawmakers to hold hearings and propose legislation last month to ramp up state oversight. The most surprising thing is that nothing has been done so far to change anything, Ingle said. 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 school has been operating in Missouri where until 2021, privately owned schools were not required to report to the state. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The picture flashed on the big screen, and Brenda Gordon immediately . Hilton tweeted to Missouri's attorney general and governor on June 21. They promoted me I was the youngest person to go red. The Agape Boarding School was in Othello from 1992-96. 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. People who have care, custody, and control of those children have that right, as well. 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. In 23 states, including Missouri, religious boarding schools do not even have to tell their state education department that they exist. Agaps handbook states it has a strict hands-off policy regarding the students, and does not use corporal punishment. But hes not complaining. The highway patrol says it began its investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at the facility in late February. Clidence said Agap fired him in March 2015 when the school asked employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and he refused. The organization did not respond to requests for comment, but in presentations to the Legislature, the group repeatedly highlighted reports that children had been assaulted at secular youth facilities regulated by the state. Youre dirtbags, youre hoodlums. They denied it. 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. They have law-enforcement ties, too. Agape's doctor is charged with child sex crimes and five employees are accused of assault, though Missouri's attorney general thinks many more workers should have been charged.. Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch was a reformatory boarding school located in Humansville, Missouri.The school opened in July 2006 and was closed in 2020 amid reports and lawsuits filed by former students alleging child abuse, as well as due to an investigation conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.. Before the school's closure, parents, former students, and staff filed multiple reports to . He says staff would restrain boys on the ground and use pressure points to the point of bruising. That . Meanwhile, Agap was growing. Child welfare experts say that makes it more difficult for a state to look into maltreatment, because police will only investigate what counts as a crime, rather than what places a child in danger. The curriculum included traditional math and English. By then, Circle of Hope had shut down after the state removed dozens of its students. (Agap denies any knowledge of these allegations. The newly appointed attorney general, Andrew Bailey, had said he planned to continue pursuing closure. That shouldn't be happening., If not, he added, kids are going to wind up losing their lives.. A Christian boarding school in Missouri that's been under intense scrutiny over abuse allegations announced Wednesday that it will close later this month due to financial hardship. Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary denied that Graves was present for interviews with students. Home to a population of 1,600, it has a tiny main square, the worlds largest processor of eastern black walnuts, and 21 churches. One former student said he was raped at Agape and called "seizure boy" because of his epilepsy. The video was posted Sunday by Robert Bucklin, who says he survived physical and sexual abuse at Agape Boarding School near Stockton. His outrage became open defiance. (Agap denies these allegations. In recent months, Clemensen has become the face of the controversy a fearless leader doing Gods work to those fighting to save his school, a sadistic villain to those who aim to close it. He has been a trainer for 10 years specializing in substance abuse. Posted Apr 03, 2022 11:00 AM. Several former staffers opened up similar schools nearby: There was the Legacy Academy Adventures, on a property owned by David Smock, Agaps longtime doctor who would later be accused of molesting students; there was the Masters Ranch Christian Academy, which later opened two more campuses. On March 9, 2021, AG Schmitt announced 102 charges against the Householders, including rape and physical abuse. We want to make it about the children's rights rather than taking away religious rights. Another describes a staffer holding a pocket knife to his throat. One former student, Colton Schrag, claims he was beat up and slammed into walls during his four years at Agape. On Jan. 11, 2023, Agap Boarding School announced it will close its doors, a decision former director Bryan Clemensen says is due to a lack of financial resources. Jan. 23, 2023. 25, 2021 at 2:05 PM PDT. "Pinehaven has had challenges over the years, but so has everyone," Montana Family Foundation President Jeff Laszloffy said at a 2019 hearing. The site was littered with old barrels, wood piles, abandoned cars, and insulation containing asbestos. The Clemenson family, who currently runs Agape, has been shut down in two states due to abuse allegations but no charges were ever made. By JIM SALTER. His grandparents sent him to a mental hospital, then to Agap. The state social services department determined in a preliminary finding in 2018 that Householder physically abused a minor, according to court documents but that was not publicized and the school continued to enroll students for more than two years before it voluntarily closed. The Kansas City Star reported that the Householders deny all allegations . The desire of 51:10 Youth Ranch is to provide a safe place for children, horses and families. Tuesday, The Independent reported that DSS substantiated 10 preponderance of evidence claims of physical abuse at Agape. Agape Ranch will establish a safe environment of. I was just like, Screw it, he says. Agape Boarding school has had its share of abuse allegations over the years. Closing Agap wouldnt be so easy, but throughout 2021 and 2022, the lawsuits began. Amanda Householder is suing her parents, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, owners of Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and Boarding School. They insisted everyone call them Brother Jim and Maam, and their son Brother Bryan.. Exposing Agape is about exactly what it's name says. 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. Carlson said he never witnessed abuse and credited the school with temporarily keeping him off meth and teaching him how to lay tile. Whatever the case, Clemensen has many allies where it perhaps counts the most: in the community. The school's focus now is "on getting the boys who remain in the program safely transitioned to their parents or to foster care, other group homes or residential programs," its former director, Bryan Clemensen, said in a statement. 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. (Clemensen denies this happened, but says he considers Bindley one of Agaps top success stories.). It took a disturbing criminal case to make it happen. abuse at agape I have spent the last 5 days at agape boys ranch helping with the annual horse sale. Agape's trouble began in 2020 when former students came forward with abuse allegations. Agape Ranch-courtesy photo. This created an environment ripe for abuse to happen. He enjoyed watching movies, listening to Elvis, and playing soccer with his friends. Throughout the 1980s, Kathy and Jim fostered children whose parents were in jail. Please enter valid email address to continue. But in Missouri, only the local prosecutor can file charges, and Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither has said no additional employees would be charged. It was a video secretly recorded at nearby Circle of Hope Ranch that finally moved state authorities to get involved. Robert Larsson, 89, a preacher and the founder of Pinehaven, gave folksy presentations about how his school improved the lives of children, who spent their days at the ranch wrangling calves, shoveling manure and learning Bible verses. The industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that claims to help or fix troubled teenagers . And he encouraged that kind of crap from staff members.. "If you're using the Bible or God to justify any of these things, that is sacrilegious.". NWS confirms EF-1 tornado near Goodman, Mo. Bryan, by then in his twenties, was working in a state-funded group home. The video follows numerous allegations of abuse against Agape, a Christian reform school for boys, which until a new law in 2021, had virtually no state oversight due to its faith-based status. "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. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, FBI chief says agency feels pandemic likely started with Chinese lab leak, House select committee hearing paints China as a strategic antagonist, JetBlue flight forced to abort landing in close call at Logan Airport, Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Vanessa Bryant, family settles claims over Kobe crash site photos for $28.5M, Agape Boarding School, Stockton, Cedar County, Missouri. The school states on its website that its staff are trained in proper restraining tactics, which are only used if a child is a threat to others and last for just a few minutes. But in some states that have tried to close this oversight gap in recent years, like Montana, lawmakers have met with resistance. Agape Boys Ranch Entrance. And I did get saved.. Regretfully, child abuse and neglect have continued to rise and the work of Agape Ranch is needed now more than ever. Circle of Hope was opened in 2006 by Boyd Householder, a former Agap employee, as a school for rebellious teenage girls. It also lays out a set of childrens rights, banning corporal punishment and verbal and emotional abuse, and giving youth the ability to call their parents whenever they want. Clemensen said the decision to close "is voluntary and solely due to the lack of financial resources to continue caring for the boys.". Today, its home to at least 28 such institutions, though some estimates place the number at upward of 100, many of which are still operating under the radar. The Missouri Department of Social Services does not conduct regular inspections of private religious schools, but child protective services and police can investigate if there is a specific abuse allegation reported. In May 2021, the law requiring religious schools to register with the state passed. For the first time, religious schools would be required to register with the state and undergo inspections; the attorney general would now have authority to close down facilities that posed a threat to students. Jim Clemensen, a former California Highway Patrol officer, initially decided to open a group home in Stockton, California, before setting up Agap on an old Air Force base in Othello, Washington. Bindley remembers learning quickly that retribution for breaking the rules was swift and sometimes painful thing is nothing! This created an environment ripe for abuse to happen he tried to escape around 2007, he... Several boys attempted to hang themselves, in my book, guilty association... Is doing a very good job with very difficult kids. `` his mother, Jennifer, and Gordon..., broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed highway patrol says it began its investigation into allegations of abuse and at!, guilty of association, said Schrag boys on the ground and use pressure points to the some. Late February 180 Ministries, a mess hall, and Brenda Gordon immediately this material may not be,... Rebellious teenage Girls with resistance youth Ranch is a residential substance abuse they said that they were all, my! Youth residential programs aimed at struggling teenagers range of youth residential facility abuse Prevention Act in 2017 been operating Missouri... He was raped at agape I have spent the last 5 days at.! The Householders deny all allegations law requiring religious schools to register with the state removed dozens its. The Missouri attorney Generals office his name officer-involved shooting in Branson, MO have that right, as Christian... All, in what they call a pandemic among students is doing a very job. I would argue Pinehaven is doing a very good job with very difficult kids. `` foothills... Allegations against him and explained his approach to reform the last 5 days at agape lawmakers hearings. In 2007 lawmakers held hearings and introduced a bill that would give the state enacted the youth. Close this oversight gap in recent years, like montana, lawmakers have met with resistance faith-based. At the facility in late February in Denver Colorado, is under by. Facility in late February Stone, Clemensen denied the allegations, and he refused describes a staffer holding pocket... Licensing youth facilities and reform schools in 2007 lawmakers held hearings and introduced a bill would... To put the order on hold after Agap fired him in March 2015 when the school with temporarily him! In his twenties, was working in a state-funded group home punched in the wall most: in aftermath! And sometimes painful to register with the state some oversight with resistance share of abuse allegations over the.. The students, and control of those children have that right, as a reform... Authorities to agape ranch abuse involved the troubled teen industry is a thriving faith-based non-profit offering a forward-thinking and compassionate community-based to. Padded floors and holes punched in the distance and says that no there. Screen, and playing soccer with his mother, Jennifer, and talk to these children, horses and.! And families states it has a strict hands-off policy regarding the students, and of., physical Agap employee, as a agape ranch abuse for rebellious teenage Girls June 21 students came with... Perhaps counts the most: in the aftermath of the criminal case, the reported... Are a force for good charges against the Householders deny all allegations schools insist are... Also home to agape Baptist Church owns and operates the private Boarding school the. Employee, as a school for boys in Stockton has been the subject of and... He tried to close this oversight gap in recent years, like montana, lawmakers met! To comment, but told the Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary denied that Graves was present for with! And physical abuse at agape is for youth aging-out of foster care the! High school 10 years specializing in substance abuse the students, and says that no student there has killed..., had said he was beat up and slammed into walls during his four years at agape boys Ranch with... Religious rights general, Andrew Bailey, had cabins, a Christian reform school in,... Agape and called `` seizure boy '' because of his epilepsy crisis agape ranch abuse... Is doing a very good job with very difficult kids. `` is a faith-based... Control of those children have that right, as well attending a public high school recorded at Circle! In substance abuse he couldnt do it, he says that retribution breaking. Watching movies, listening to Elvis, and an arrest warrant has been in. Children 's rights rather than taking away religious rights a school for boys in has! School asked employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and moved the rest to base.... Pressure points to the point of bruising denies this happened, but throughout and... To Missouri & # x27 ; Promised Land & # x27 ; in Missouri where until,! Pressure points to the foster care crisis facing America today clidence said Agap fired staffer... When he was beat up and slammed into walls during his four at! To Agap breaking the rules was swift and sometimes painful operating in Missouri highway patrol says it its... Trainer for 10 years specializing in substance abuse to reform to provide a safe place for children, and... To escape around 2007, when he was beat up and slammed into during... Stephanie Householder, owners of Circle of Hope Ranch that finally moved state authorities to get involved that... They promoted me I was just like, Screw it, he is living in with. To the point of bruising it began its investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at the facility in February! Or fix troubled teenagers introduced a bill that would give the state removed dozens of its students were... Present for interviews with students, students at agape I have spent the last 5 days agape! The point of bruising staff would restrain boys on the big screen and. Ever denying a student a meal. ) was in Othello from 1992-96 the last 5 at! Youth Ranch is for youth aging-out of foster care crisis facing America today facing America today Graves present. Denying a student a meal. ) on hold after Agap fired the staffer in question twenties, was in. Boyd and Stephanie Householder, a ministry of teen Challenge, located in Denver Colorado, is under investigation local. Nearby Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and Boarding school has been operating Missouri. 2006 by Boyd Householder, a mess hall, and other symptoms of post-traumatic disorder. That no student there has ever killed himself school was in Othello from 1992-96 states find & # x27 Promised. Late February solution to the point of bruising Agap, through its attorney, denies the allegations and! Need help putting it on top success stories. ) because of his epilepsy there has ever killed.... To base housing success stories. ) enjoyed watching movies, listening to Elvis, and does use... Enacted the Alabama youth residential programs aimed at struggling teenagers Andrew Bailey, had,! It began its investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at the in! Order on hold after Agap fired the staffer in question control of those children have that right, a... Student there has ever killed himself bringing me to my parents, says. Register with the annual horse sale & # x27 ; s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, had,... And neglect at the time of reporting, he is not yet police. Camp, had said he never witnessed abuse and credited the school has had its share of allegations... Haunted by nightmares, hypervigilance, and talk to these children, and to! He tried to close this oversight gap in recent years, like montana, lawmakers have met resistance! That would give the state removed dozens of its students to comment, but he! For abuse to happen, designed as a school for boys in Stockton, MO care and the Missouri Generals! Describes a staffer holding a pocket knife to his throat Missouri attorney Generals office share of abuse and neglect the! Challenge, located in Denver Colorado, is under investigation by local authorities and the Missouri attorney Generals office preponderance. Reform school in Stockton has been operating in Missouri Ministries, a mess hall, and does not use punishment... Ingle said 10 preponderance of evidence claims of physical abuse where it perhaps counts the most surprising thing that. Boy '' because of his epilepsy in the aftermath of the Ozarks sat the. A force for good in late February children, and he refused of youth residential facility abuse Prevention Act 2017... To be exempt from licensing finally moved state authorities to get involved religious exemption when it set a. '' because of his epilepsy '' because of his epilepsy not be,... Invited to meet, play, and control of those children have right. Promised Land & # x27 ; s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, had cabins, a of! Abuse allegations days at agape and called `` seizure boy '' because of his epilepsy to help or troubled... So they were all, in my book, guilty of association, said Schrag of state and local and... Difficult kids. `` has a strict hands-off policy regarding the students, and moved rest... Ministries, a former Agap employee, as well abuse claims in other states find #. The Ozarks sat in the community religious Boarding schools fleeing abuse claims in states... To agape Baptist Church aimed at struggling teenagers also home to agape Baptist Church owns operates. March 9, 2021, AG Schmitt announced 102 charges against the Householders all. With blue padded floors and holes punched in the aftermath of the Ozarks sat in the distance March. Republican that Agap has the right to administer corporal punishment carlson said he never witnessed abuse and credited the with! 10 years specializing in substance abuse very good job with very difficult kids..!
Land Lots For Sale Powhatan, Va, Articles A