For $3,250 in tuition per month, the school claims on its website that it can turn around defiant and rebellious boys through spiritual growth., Parents, who are only allowed to visit with two weeks notice, are warned in the school handbook they should never try and interfere with the policies or rules of Agap Boarding School. Which means that even if Missouri does end up shutting down Agap, the school could open in another state just as the Clemensens did when they were driven out of Washington. Agape Boarding school has had its share of abuse allegations over the years. He has been a trainer for 10 years specializing in substance abuse. 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. Alumni of Christian boarding schools for troubled teens in Missouri, including Agape and Circle of Hope, say state laws prevented inspections, enabling abuse to continue for decades. When more severe penalties were required, according to students, civil suits, and a search warrant filed later by state investigators, Agap staffers would hold the boys facedown on the floor while pressing their elbows, knees, and fingers into students pressure points, a pain compliance method known as a restraint. Or worse. Staff members would jump on you, said Schrag. In 1991, Todd Bindley, then 13, moved in. 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! He remembers verbal abuse, such as being told, the world didnt want you and says withholding food was a punishment., Staff members would slam you on the ground, slam you into walls, pick you up by the collar and just slam you around. For example, when many foster children age out of the system, they have lived in an average of 12 foster homes. Jan 5, 2023 9:58 am. Stockton is located 130 miles south of Kansas City, a lazy drive down sunbaked roads lined with oak forests and rolling fields. One morning, he overheard one of the Clemensen daughters asking for help with a math problem, to which Bindley shot back a smartass remark. 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. Agap did not respond to repeated requests for comment and interviews via phone, email and a letter left at the schools reception desk. Among other things, the new state law allows state or local authorities to petition the court for closure of a facility if children's safety or health are believed to be in immediate danger. 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. Amanda, then 29, says her parents kicked her out when she was 17. Each worker is facing abuse charges. Churches of Christ don't have enough preachers to fill all the open pulpits in our fellowship. The school still faces a wave of lawsuits accusing administrators of abuse. To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com, State of Missouri investigating Agape Ranch and Boarding School near Stockton, Deputy seriously hurt in crash with driver opening beer, Greene County prosecutor files charges against man accused of crashing truck into a house. For many survivors of Agap, that would be tough to accept. Once in the car, Bindley says, they took him to their home. (Agap denies these allegations. Pinehaven did not respond to a request for comment. 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. Still, administrators at many of these schools insist they are a force for good. The desire of 51:10 Youth Ranch is to provide a safe place for children, horses and families. Updated: Dec 13, 2022 / 12:48 PM CST. 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. 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. At least three Cedar County Sheriff's Department employees currently or previously work at Agape, including two full-time deputies, one of whom is married to the daughter of Agape's founder, the petition read. South Carolina is a possibility; it still does not require religious schools to register with the state. It now has 12. A decent life.. Mow Grass and Maintain Landscaping. Youre going to be dead or in prison three months after you turn 18.. W hen Andrew Breshears arrived at the Agap Boarding School in 2018, he was a sandy-haired 12-year-old who weighed less than 100 . Attendance at Agape plummeted after abuse allegations surfaced. Posted at 6:19 PM, Sep 01, 2022. and last updated 4:46 PM, Sep 01, 2022. 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 can at least try to show others that you dont have to keep it inside. It was time to go. 4/5/2021. After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily shut down. 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. 180 Ministries, a ministry of Teen Challenge, located in Denver Colorado, is a residential substance abuse . If you're using the Bible or God to justify any of these things, that is sacrilegious. Agape Ranch will establish a safe environment of 24 homes where foster children can receive the support they need in order to mature in all aspects of their lives. We are faith-based, free, and swift to respond. Tripadvisor names the world's top 25 beaches, three in the U.S. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". "Pinehaven has had challenges over the years, but so has everyone," Montana Family Foundation President Jeff Laszloffy said at a 2019 hearing. Upon completion, our self sustaining community will care for up to 132 foster children and young adults at a time. 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. When I first got there, I just stayed on the low, trying to do my best, hoping to get out, he says. 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. One former Agape student who sued, Robert Bucklin, said the closure means justice "has finally prevailed. Breshears spotted a baseball bat poking out of an equipment bag. Though he is 16, he is a freshman; Agaps curriculum is often not compatible with local requirements. (NBC News presented a copy of Clidences nondisparagement agreement to Agap to confirm or dispute its authenticity, but the school did not respond.). Visit Website. 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. The next morning, Breshears made a plan with the other students to start a riot. That evening, as Agaps 150 students and staffers were finishing up dinner, Breshears spotted a fellow conspirator flash a thumbs-up. 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. 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. And he said, No, theyre not. He cuffed me up and dropped me back off at Agap. This created an environment ripe for abuse to happen. They claim Clemensen was on a power trip and seemed to enjoy brutalizing the kids in his charge. The school follows a fundamentalist Baptist belief system, according to a 2002 St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, and displayed a photo of the radio evangelist Lester Roloff, who died in a plane crash in 1982. For more on this story, watch NBC's "Dateline" episode, "Broken Circle". Within months, Jim was both saved and married, and Bryan had a new stepdad. 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. ), Other students describe staffers encouraging classmates to fight one another, and cutting off communication with loved ones when they complained. Bryan, by then in his twenties, was working in a state-funded group home. It is one of the 2 times he saw his family between 2006 and 2010. I have concerns about every inch of that place, County Commissioner Sue Miller said. After each event, the team assesses what went well, what could be done better, and how many children/foster families were positively impacted. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Clemensen said that the abuse allegations are lies, and suggests they are inspired by the political ambitions of State Attorney General Eric Schmitt who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November and a small group of disgruntled former students hoping for a big payday. What they are claiming would never be OK, he says. Lack of oversight is not limited to Missouri. They say theyre still haunted by nightmares, hypervigilance, and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. STOCKTON, Mo. 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. In 1996, Agap moved to a 200-acre ranch in Cedar County, Missouri. And its not just Missouri. Andrew Breshears in his Agap uniform. The posts went viral even receiving a thumbs-up from Paris Hilton. Within a few months, he says, three students ran away. There was a small room down a dark staircase with blue padded floors and holes punched in the wall. Agape Ranch will establish a safe environment of. It was late on April 20, 2007, he said, and the staff at the all-boys boarding school in southwestern Missouri wanted him to confess that he and two other boys were going to try to run away. One killed in officer-involved shooting in Branson, Mo. According to AG Schmitts office, the Cedar County Sheriffs Department employs at least three people who used to work at Agap. Wednesday afternoon, a House committee questions Missouri Department of Social Services leaders about their investigations into boarding schools. (As of publication, one defendants case was dismissed, three pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, and one is awaiting a hearing this month.) Missouri previously had virtually no oversight for religious boarding schools. 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. Agape bills itself as a 30-year-old Christian outfit that "has helped thousands of troubled teens" in part "by showing God's love daily to these boys." But those who identify as abuse survivors . (888) 614-0077. . The troubled teen industry is a term used to refer to a broad range of youth residential programs aimed at struggling teenagers. 2022 maintained by Gibler Shaw Enterprises. Schrag says the verbal abuse was constant. In 2021, Agape's longtime doctor, David Smock, was charged with child sex crimes and five employees were charged with low-level abuse counts. I just kind of felt like I was on my own, said Schrag, 28, who now works in the oil industry in Texas. Agape Ranch is dedicated to making a difference within their community and building capacity within the team. Clidence said Agap fired him in March 2015 when the school asked employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and he refused. hen Andrew Breshears arrived at the Agap Boarding School in 2018, he was a sandy-haired 12-year-old who weighed less than 100 pounds. Missouri's Agap Boarding School will close its doors due to a lack of finances, school officials say but the . 24, 2021 at 10:23 AM PDT | Updated: Mar. It took a disturbing criminal case to make it happen. They were very detailed and professional. (Householder has denied that any abuse occurred at the ranch.). 24 homes where foster children can receive the support they need in order to mature in all aspects of their lives. The three were convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. NWS confirms EF-1 tornado near Goodman, Mo. Graves did not respond to a request for comment. The video was posted Sunday by Robert Bucklin, who says he survived physical and sexual abuse at Agape Boarding School near Stockton. 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. By 14, Breshears says, he was fully in staffers crosshairs. We want to hear it. The only thing it would have done, Smith said of her bill, is require these adolescent facilities to have oversight by our Department of Public Health and Human Services, just like a senior citizen home or a barbershop.. The most surprising thing is that nothing has been done so far to change anything, Ingle said. He grabbed the bat, charged toward the front of the cafeteria, and shattered a plate-glass window. 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. Youre dirtbags, youre hoodlums. Yet the delays have frustrated state lawmakers. 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. Seth Duncan was charged with five counts of third . She thought heavy metal was like witchcraft, he says. Clemensen said the decision to close "is voluntary and solely due to the lack of financial resources to continue caring for the boys.". Interested in learning more about the 2023 Legacy Gala? Robert Bucklin, 28, who is identified in the motion and lawsuit as R.B. Boyd and Stephanie Householders daughter says they worked at Agape for four years. For a time, Breshears stayed out of trouble. I realized I cant be the only former student to have these problems, he says. For example, Arkansas allows boarding schools and child welfare agencies operated solely by a religious organization to be exempt from licensing. Trump White House Pressured Disney to Censor Jimmy Kimmel Many of the kids my parents took in would be back six months later in worse shape, Bryan says. It could last for days on end. Locals says the Clemensens ingratiated themselves by offering tours, and hosting Boy Scout breakfasts and luncheons for the local Methodist group. 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. If there is a question about a policy or rule, do not ask your son.. The way Bryan tells it, in the 1970s, Kathy was a single mom whod found Jesus but still had a mischievous streak. In the aftermath of the criminal case, the state enacted the Alabama Youth Residential Facility Abuse Prevention Act in 2017. Jan. 23, 2023. Though Ms. Allred's office has spent months soliciting a cash settlement, we were unaware that a suit would be filed. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images), Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A Tri-City Herald story from 1996 said that Franklin County officials ordered the facility to close for code violations over removing and . The reasoning for the exemptions varies, but states generally take a hands-off approach to oversight of privately funded schools, and officials fear stoking the anger of conservative voters. Since Circle of Hope opened in 2006, at least 15 people said they reported abuse at the ranch to at least six local, state and federal agencies in Missouri, an NBC News investigation found, based . Interested in learning more about the 2023 Legacy Gala? Nonetheless, the outcome of the civil suits is far from certain. 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. 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 . 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. 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. Full Gala Taping. 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. You can start to heal., For his part, Breshears is grateful to be free. I pre paid him in February to cut yard 2x for months. I dont want another kid to have to go through what I went through, Schrag said. They called the school Agap, meaning Gods love for man. Court records show that David Earl Smock is wanted for assaulting children under 15 at the Agape Boarding School, a Christian private school in Greene County. The next home at The Ranch is for youth aging-out of foster care and the need is urgent. He smacked me in the face with his elbow for saying the f-word. Former Calallen ISD teacher Joseph Sandoval sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexual abuse . Bindley remembers learning quickly that retribution for breaking the rules was swift and sometimes painful. "If you're using the Bible or God to justify any of these things, that is sacrilegious.". 1.0 Stephen H. Winter Haven, FL. He ran the school on fear, says Colton Schrag, a former gang associate who attended the school twice between 2004 and 2010, and is not suing because the statute of limitations has expired. That's no secret, as news stories in The Christian. The charges come after the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated allegations of abuse at the boarding school. But then, Breshears made friends and began to reconsider his allegiances particularly, he says, after he witnessed classmates getting restrained. In August, Sandoval was charged with arranging the kidnapping of an emancipated teen in Fresno, California, on behalf of the boys estranged mother, and then having him driven, handcuffed, 27 hours to Agap. 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. 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. Colton Schrag remembers the night at the Agap Boarding School when, he says, a staff member punched him in the face. Posted Apr 03, 2022 11:00 AM. In May 2021, the law requiring religious schools to register with the state passed. Every year, Agape Ranch hosts our Adoption Connection event to help children in foster care find their forever home. 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 founders, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, received 99 charges of sex crimes, child abuse . Agape had 132 students 13 months ago, its lawyer, John Schultz said. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Its good to be back with family, he says. Bryan Clemensen was not among those charged. Throughout the 1980s, Kathy and Jim fostered children whose parents were in jail. Selena Gomez Taking a Break From Social Media After Hailey Bieber Drama: I'm 'Too Old for This (KY3) - Missouris attorney general is investigating a second Cedar County boarding school. 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. Jim and Kathy appeared at the hospital a few weeks later. abuse at agape I have spent the last 5 days at agape boys ranch helping with the annual horse sale. Whatever the case, Clemensen has many allies where it perhaps counts the most: in the community. Jan. 18, 2023. THORNTON, Colo. Agape Bible Church canceled all church services last weekend after a FOX31 Problem Solvers investigation into whether its head pastor tried to cover up an alleged sexual abuse . 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. And that's what it's all about.. That's because Agap is a religious school, which makes it exempt from the state rules governing secular boarding schools and childrens homes. 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