Andrew Breshears in his Agap uniform. 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. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images), Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect. Bindley remembers learning quickly that retribution for breaking the rules was swift and sometimes painful. The criminal division of the EPA investigated and charged Jim Clemensen for improperly disposing of hazardous material. These courses are core requirements for Florida . 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. Federal lawmakers say they plan to introduce legislation to curtail abuses in the industry. Amanda, then 29, says her parents kicked her out when she was 17. Where they stop looking to drugs, or their friends, and say to God, I need your help to feel better. If you dont save their souls, it aint going to stick.. At the time of reporting, he is not yet in police custody, and an arrest warrant has been issued in his name. The Montana Family Foundation, an anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage advocacy organization, lobbied against the proposals, as well, and Smith said their opposition scared lawmakers who didnt want a negative mark on the conservative groups legislative scorecard. In Missouri, parents are allowed to discipline their children, he said. Chapel was daily. Facebook Page. 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 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 glass flew everywhere, he says. Agape Boys Ranch Entrance. He is pleased to hear the Missouri attorney generals office is now investigating Agape Boarding School. 90% of young adults aging-out of the foster care system will become homeless, incarcerated, in prostitution, sex trafficked, or dead within three years. And he encouraged that kind of crap from staff members.. KANSAS CITY, Mo. They insisted everyone call them Brother Jim and Maam, and their son Brother Bryan.. (888) 614-0077. . It appeared to be a vast improvement over his previous digs. Cedar County Prosecutor Ty Gaither asked the governors office for help in his investigation of the Agape Ranch and Boarding School west of Stockton. 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. 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Tuesday, The Independent reported that DSS substantiated 10 preponderance of evidence claims of physical abuse at Agape. (KY3) - Missouris attorney general is investigating a second Cedar County boarding school. (Knock her out! he can be heard saying.) The Agape Boarding School was in Othello from 1992-96. 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. More than 90% of young adults aging-out of the foster care system will become homeless, incarcerated, in prostitution, sex trafficked, or dead within three years. 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 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 . Contact Jorden Tramp, Donor Relations & Event Coordinator at jorden@agaperanch.org or click the button below. 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. Regretfully, child abuse and neglect have continued to rise and the work of Agape Ranch is needed now more than ever. Agape Ranch breaks that cycle by providing compassionate care, connections within the community, and now by creating a neighborhood to give them a place to call home with families that provide unconditional love. Sandoval, Agaps dean of students, worked shifts at the county jail. Locals says the Clemensens ingratiated themselves by offering tours, and hosting Boy Scout breakfasts and luncheons for the local Methodist group. One former student reportedly mentioned Agap in a suicide note. Christian Reform School Accused of Abuse Shuts Down After Rolling Stone Expos. Churches of Christ don't have enough preachers to fill all the open pulpits in our fellowship. Bryan, by then in his twenties, was working in a state-funded group home. 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 BBC was given access to their UK boot camp, where they learn how to teach Mormon beliefs and use social media to reach potential converts. New court filings reveal some of the most brutal allegations of abuse at Agape Boarding School so far, including former students' account that two staffers sexually assaulted him. The five employees of the Agape Boarding School near Stockton were charged with a total of 13 third-degree felony assault counts, Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither said. 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. 1.0 Stephen H. Winter Haven, FL. Francis said that Robert Graves, a Cedar County sheriffs deputy who had worked at Agap, sat in on a meeting Francis had with a social worker who was looking into abuse allegations at the school. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The picture flashed on the big screen, and Brenda Gordon immediately . Agape Baptist Church owns and operates the private boarding school for boys in Stockton, MO. Soon theyd be in a place where they were untouchable. In May 2021, the law requiring religious schools to register with the state passed. 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. Francis lied, he said, because Robert Graves a Cedar County sheriffs deputy who is on the board of Agaps church and has worked at the school was present for the interview. The Kansas City Star reported that the Householders deny all allegations . (They do so much good for this town and you cannot believe the difference they have made in these young men, says Jackie Cargell, who has lived in the town for 57 years.) Attendance at Agape plummeted after abuse allegations surfaced. Colton Shrag, age 16 on a home visit from Agap in 2008. Graves did not respond to a request for comment. Indeed, the version of the school students describe, community members say, is starkly different from the Agap the town has come to know. In November, a man who is reportedly a former Agap employee was charged with 215 counts of possession of child pornography. Meanwhile, tales of abuse continue to emerge. There were horses, a swimming pool, and a football team. One former Agape student who sued, Robert Bucklin, said the closure means justice "has finally prevailed. People who have care, custody, and control of those children have that right, as well. That was the last straw; they had him committed. 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. Woody Harrelson Spreads Anti-Vax Conspiracies During SNL Monologue The highway patrol says it began its investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at the facility in late February. Their lawyer denies the allegations and says that their innocence will prevail in court. 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. Clidence said Agap fired him in March 2015 when the school asked employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and he refused. Plaintiff was allegedly physically, sexually, and emotionally abused while under the care and supervision of . After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily shut down. 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. On cue, at least two others started beating up an unsuspecting student to create a distraction. So they were all, in my book, guilty of association, said Schrag. There was a small room down a dark staircase with blue padded floors and holes punched in the wall. 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. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Editors picks 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. 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. Former students say Clemensen, a paunchy middle-aged man with a buzz cut, a soft chin, and a stern manner, had a technique that he called Jurassic Elbow which entailed slamming his elbow into the back of a students skull, face, ribs, or down between the shoulder blades. 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. Since it claims to be a Christian organization, is not regulated by the state because of a religious exemption. He lost his red shirt and became familiar with the one place no student wanted to end up: Brown Town. That status, characterized by the brown shirt a student was forced to wear, according to lawsuits and depositions, came with extreme workouts, the loss of talking privileges, and a restricted meal plan that often consisted of a slice of bread and peanut butter, or a tortilla with a scoop of cold refried beans. (Householder has denied that any abuse occurred at the ranch.). ), Such alleged retribution was not necessarily confined to Brown Town. The Clemensens sent 100 boys home, and moved the rest to base housing. Cedar . STOCKTON, Mo. More than 90% of young adults aging out of the foster system will become homeless, incarcerated, in prostitution, sex trafficked, or dead within three years. Located just outside Stockton, Agape is the second unlicensed Christian boarding school in the state to be investigated for allegations of abuse. Updated: Dec 13, 2022 / 12:48 PM CST. The action galvanized Agap alumni, as well, and they began telling their stories to local media and on podcasts. NBC News reported on the allegations earlier this . The argument grew heated, he says, and the staffer told the kids they were going to Brown Town. For example, when many foster children age out of the system, they have lived in an average of 12 foster homes. James Clemensen founded the Agap Boarding School in the early 1990s. Youre going to be dead or in prison three months after you turn 18.. The video was posted Sunday by Robert Bucklin, who says he survived physical and sexual abuse at Agape Boarding School near Stockton. Trending 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. 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. The evening began with a social hour and silent auction and continued with dinner and inspirational testimonies as we opened the next chapter of Agape Ranch. 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. Agape also faces criminal charges . 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. But many lawmakers are also oblivious to the consequences of lax oversight until there's a scandal. We are the best rehab . Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader/Imagn. Former students of Agape from Alabama, Texas, and Michigan have filed two civil lawsuits against the Boarding School for multiple charges that include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. In 1996, Agap moved to a 200-acre ranch in Cedar County, Missouri. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The Missouri House Committee on Children and Families issued a report in November concluding that there are numerous facilities in the state that have abused vulnerable children in their care, with no state oversight, for many years. Still, it was only a partial picture, based on interviews with former students and information from state officials, because Missouri doesnt keep track of how many religious boarding schools exist in the state. He says he and others suffered frequent physical abuse, at the hands of at least a dozen staff members, and others didnt stop it. It was then he discovered an effort far more worthwhile than smashing windows: At least 18 other former students were filing lawsuits accusing the school and its staff of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. 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. Agaps handbook states it has a strict hands-off policy regarding the students, and does not use corporal punishment. 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. But in some states that have tried to close this oversight gap in recent years, like Montana, lawmakers have met with resistance. For secular youth facilities regulated by Missouris social services department, as well as those that have contracts with the state, social welfare agents conduct inspections at least twice a year to review staff training, check compliance with fire and health codes, and make sure employees have background checks and that children get proper medical attention. Via Fox13, the local news station out of Salt Lake City, we get a detailed response to the lawsuit from ranch management: "We at Turn-About Ranch strongly deny the allegations put forward in Ms. Allred's press conference. But Breshears got a rude welcome. 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. 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. Agape Boarding school has had its share of abuse allegations over the years. 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. The Department of Social Services declined to comment on its investigations into Agap and the interviews with students, and would not release records, but said that there have been no substantiated reports of abuse or neglect at the school. 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