Upon completion, our self sustaining community will care for up to 132 foster children and young adults at a time. The Missouri AG launched a joint investigation with Cedar County authorities. Agap did not respond to repeated requests for comment and interviews via phone, email and a letter left at the schools reception desk. Students called it the Padded Palace., Punishments allegedly ranged from calisthenics to wall time, where kids stood with their foreheads and noses touching the wall, except when sleeping, doing schoolwork, or eating. Christian Reform School Accused of Abuse Shuts Down After Rolling Stone Expos. Josh Bradney, 19, who attended Agap from 2014 to 2016, said staff members slammed him to the ground when he told his parents on a phone call that Agap employees hit another boy with a football helmet. I have concerns about every inch of that place, County Commissioner Sue Miller said. In November, a man who is reportedly a former Agap employee was charged with 215 counts of possession of child pornography. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Tuesday, The Independent reported that DSS substantiated 10 preponderance of evidence claims of physical abuse at Agape. It was renewed on Dec. 7. The campus is also home to Agape Baptist Church. It appeared to be a vast improvement over his previous digs. The site was littered with old barrels, wood piles, abandoned cars, and insulation containing asbestos. Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader/Imagn. 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. An investigation by NBC News and Dateline found that multiple states have similar gaps in the oversight of religious boarding schools, leaving children vulnerable to abuse. 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. A Tri-City Herald story from 1996 said that Franklin County officials ordered the facility to close for code violations over removing and . After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily shut down. Its good to be back with family, he says. He says staff would restrain boys on the ground and use pressure points to the point of bruising. Mow Grass and Maintain Landscaping. And he said, No, theyre not., In 1996, the Clemensens purchased 40 acres just outside of town. Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary denied that Graves was present for interviews with students. Some who attended and worked at the school said otherwise. In Missouri, at least, this could be changing. Master's Ranch Christian Academy which has had a facility in southern Missouri for more than a decade opened a new location . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 79 were here. Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader/Imagn. "I would argue Pinehaven is doing a very good job with very difficult kids.". Though he is 16, he is a freshman; Agaps curriculum is often not compatible with local requirements. 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. 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! 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 . Agape Ranch-courtesy photo. Until 2017, Alabamas Religious Freedom Amendment shielded boarding schools such as the Restoration Youth Academy and its sister facility, the Saving Youth Foundation, from government oversight. The former director of Agape Boarding School pleaded with a Cole County judge on Monday to keep himself off the state's central registry of child abuse and . 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. She thought heavy metal was like witchcraft, he says. 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. TOUGH-LOVE SCHOOLS CAN BE traced back to the 1950s, when a secular group called Synanon pioneered an approach to curing heroin addiction with isolation, humiliation, and sleep deprivation. 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. Mrs. Vicki Loeffler & Mrs. Rodney Johnson, DDS, Faithful Witness Photography, Photographer. Attendance at Agape plummeted after abuse allegations surfaced. Carlson said he never witnessed abuse and credited the school with temporarily keeping him off meth and teaching him how to lay tile. Lack of oversight is not limited to Missouri. They literally took the practices of Agape and opened up Circle of Hope, so we know for a fact that there is one other school that is ran just like Circle of Hope, and that place is what Circle of Hope modeled their school after, said Amanda Householder, daughter of Circle of Hope operators. In September 2021, he charged five Agap staff members with a total of 13 counts of third-degree assault, the lowest degree of felony. . Officials also said even if child protective services found that someone at a religious youth facility abused a child, there were no rules to prevent the person from continuing to work there. A judge ordered the school closed only to put the order on hold after Agap fired the staffer in question. The last time would be his graduation. One deposed student describes attempting to jump off a staircase at Agap in a gesture of suicidal desperation which prompted a staffer to grab him, throw him six feet across the floor, sit on his back, and bash his head into the floor multiple times, leaving him in a pile of snot and blood, while screaming, Is this what you want? (Agap confirms restraining the student, but says it was not a form of abuse but an attempt to prevent harm to the boy.) Another former student said under oath that he was yanked out of bed and slammed to the floor for waking up late, kicked and punched in the balls by former dean of students Julio Sandoval, and kicked in the ribs and face in front of the rest of the school by Bryan Clemensen. After a months-long investigation, the AGs office recommended 65 charges against 22 staff members, accusing them of abusing 36 children. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. None of these raised eyebrows until former Agap staffers Boyd and Stephanie Householder opened Circle of Hope Girls Ranch. 4/5/2021. It also taught creationism and that women should be subservient to their husbands, while weaving biblical references into the materials. Agape also faces criminal charges . 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. It received initial passage in the house and needs one more vote before going on to the Senate. James Clemensen founded the Agap Boarding School in the early 1990s. The action galvanized Agap alumni, as well, and they began telling their stories to local media and on podcasts. After each event, the team assesses what went well, what could be done better, and how many children/foster families were positively impacted. Trending vs. Agape Baptist Church Inc., et al: In the complaint filed on August 7, 2021, Alabama plaintiff shared his allegations of abuse while being under the custody of Agape Boarding School from approximately March 2012 to March 2013. By then, Circle of Hope had shut down after the state removed dozens of its students. "If you're using the Bible or God to justify any of these things, that is sacrilegious.". They have law-enforcement ties, too. 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). Visit Website. Jan. 23, 2023. In Missouri, parents are allowed to discipline their children, he said. 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. Andrew Breshears in his Agap uniform. But he struggled at home. The plaintiffs in the newest cases, filed June 15 in Vernon County . Gaither declined to comment, but told the Cedar County Republican that Agap has the right to administer corporal punishment. The AG was on board. 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. . 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. (As of publication, one defendants case was dismissed, three pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, and one is awaiting a hearing this month.) One killed in officer-involved shooting in Branson, Mo. 1:00. Thanks to the generosity of others, Agape Ranch will now be able to provide housing and mentorship for foster youth who age-out while they pursue higher education or career training. 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