Agape Boarding School was moving away from the "nonbelievers" in Washington and California and heading east. As a 501(c)3 charitable organization dedicated to providing high quality foster care in South Texas by supporting foster and adoptive families, we have been working diligently in the areas of prevention, foster care, adoption, and aging-out to provide support and mentorship for vulnerable children in our community. After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily . Circle of Hope Girls Ranch near Humansville . The founders of Circle of Hope face around 100 charges, some alleging sexual abuse. 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.. Moments later, Bindley says, Bryan yanked him backward, slamming his chair and his head into the concrete floor. The newly appointed attorney general, Andrew Bailey, had said he planned to continue pursuing closure. Hymns blared in the classrooms. One student said staffers had branded him with a cross. Posted at 6:19 PM, Sep 01, 2022. and last updated 4:46 PM, Sep 01, 2022. Missouri previously had virtually no oversight for religious boarding schools. By 5+ Local Business Owners! Clemensen said the decision to close "is voluntary and solely due to the lack of financial resources to continue caring for the boys.". Please enter valid email address to continue. I believe the community is aware. Mrs. Vicki Loeffler & Mrs. Rodney Johnson, DDS, Faithful Witness Photography, Photographer. 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. Christian Reform School Accused of Abuse Shuts Down After Rolling Stone Expos. The Agap case is just the latest scandal to emerge from the billion-dollar troubled-teen industry, a loosely regulated network of therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, religious academies, and wilderness camps set up to help teenagers with drug addiction and behavioral problems. 1.0 Stephen H. Winter Haven, FL. (Agap denies this.) 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. 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. Trump White House Pressured Disney to Censor Jimmy Kimmel Minnesota has even less control. NBC News reported on the allegations earlier this . His grandparents sent him to a mental hospital, then to Agap. The fastest way for a student to attain a coveted burgundy or red shirt, Breshears soon learned, was to embrace the Lord and help Brother Bryan Bryan Clemensen, the schools co-founder and eventual director and principal enforce the rules. STOCKTON, Mo. It was renewed on Dec. 7. The 57-year-old is currently facing charges of second-degree statutory sodomy . All Rights Reserved. The campus is also home to Agape Baptist Church. Bucklin wrote the video shows a staff . Meanwhile, Agap was growing. 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.. They called the school Agap, meaning Gods love for man. 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. Agape Boarding School is located on a 200-acre ranch in Stockton, Missouri. (Clemensen says this was a nickname the boys had for an elbow injury, and denies the abuse.) 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 First published on January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM. The schools are unrelated and are not affiliated with any particular Christian denomination. In the aftermath of the criminal case, the state enacted the Alabama Youth Residential Facility Abuse Prevention Act in 2017. 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. 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. Exposing Agape is about exactly what it's name says. 24, 2021 at 10:23 AM PDT | Updated: Mar. Clidence said Agap fired him in March 2015 when the school asked employees to sign a nondisparagement agreement, and he refused. If you resisted any, they would start kneeing you, hitting you, just mashing your face into the tile or concrete, wherever it was.. 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. One former student said he was raped at Agape and called "seizure boy" because of his epilepsy. It was time to go. Former students wonder if its because of this that authorities failed to act sooner. It was easy to get in trouble for stupid shit, Breshears recalls. 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. 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 . More than a decade later, legislators are finally making headway. Agape Ranch will establish a safe environment of. To keep order, Agap instituted a military-like hierarchy, indicated by colored shirts that denoted ranks. None of these raised eyebrows until former Agap staffers Boyd and Stephanie Householder opened Circle of Hope Girls Ranch. The AG was on board. Andrew Breshears in his Agap uniform. The curriculum included traditional math and English. 2 min read. In response to a detailed list of follow-up questions, Clemensen, through Agaps attorney, says he has never abused any boy in the history of Agap, and denied that restraints were ever used for punishment. (Photo by Tim Bommel/House Communications) Another describes a staffer holding a pocket knife to his throat. On cue, at least two others started beating up an unsuspecting student to create a distraction. Master's Ranch Christian Academy which has had a facility in southern Missouri for more than a decade opened a new location . KANSAS CITY, Mo. 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. Lack of oversight is not limited to Missouri. The action galvanized Agap alumni, as well, and they began telling their stories to local media and on podcasts. Nonetheless, the outcome of the civil suits is far from certain. But he struggled at home. The troubled teen industry is a term used to refer to a broad range of youth residential programs aimed at struggling teenagers. They would say, Youre nothing. And he said, No, theyre not. He cuffed me up and dropped me back off at Agap. Share. It was a video secretly recorded at nearby Circle of Hope Ranch that finally moved state authorities to get involved. McCrary said in an email on Friday that Graves was not present for social workers interviews with students. All Rights reserved. Anne Stych June 27, 2022. In 2021, Agape's longtime doctor, David Smock, was charged with child sex crimes and five employees were charged with low-level abuse counts. He says he and others suffered frequent physical abuse, at the hands of at least a dozen staff members, and others didnt stop it. Whatever the case, Clemensen has many allies where it perhaps counts the most: in the community. UPDATE (Feb. 12, 2021, 2:33 p.m. I pre paid him in February to cut yard 2x for months. 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. 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. . 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. They would put you down, says Breshears. Agape had 132 students 13 months ago, its lawyer, John Schultz said. Bryan Clemensen stops a tour of the group home to pet Sally, the ranchs beloved camel. Pinehaven did not respond to a request for comment. Agape Treatment Center offers Drug and Alcohol Rehab as well as Primary Mental Health Treatment. He enjoyed watching movies, listening to Elvis, and playing soccer with his friends. Children as young as four-years-old may have had up to five foster . 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. Visit Website. Seth Duncan was charged with five counts of third . Located just outside Stockton, Agape is the second unlicensed Christian boarding school in the state to be investigated for allegations of abuse. 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. Tuesday, The Independent reported that DSS substantiated 10 preponderance of evidence claims of physical abuse at Agape. Contact Jorden Tramp, Donor Relations & Event Coordinator at [email protected] or click the button below. Trending Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate last year and sworn in this month. 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. Attendance at Agape plummeted after abuse allegations surfaced. They allowed it to happen.. 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. In other words, Grandmother can spank the children as can Agap.. In September 2021, he charged five Agap staff members with a total of 13 counts of third-degree assault, the lowest degree of felony. Soon theyd be in a place where they were untouchable. 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. 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. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images), Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect. He says staff would restrain boys on the ground and use pressure points to the point of bruising. Staff members would jump on you, said Schrag. 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! 24 homes where foster children can receive the support they need in order to mature in all aspects of their lives. 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. The criminal division of the EPA investigated and charged Jim Clemensen for improperly disposing of hazardous material. Schrag says the verbal abuse was constant. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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 . Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch, a nearby Christian boarding school for girls, was shut down in 2020. The last time would be his graduation. The couple met when Jim pulled Kathy over for drag racing a beat-up Ford Pinto around the East Bay. It also taught creationism and that women should be subservient to their husbands, while weaving biblical references into the materials. Agape Boarding school has had its share of abuse allegations over the years. 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. 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. ET): After publication of this article, Cedar County Sheriff James Jimbob McCrary disputed an account by former Agap student Lucas Francis. The allegations of abuse were filed at the Cedar County Circuit . 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. It received initial passage in the house and needs one more vote before going on to the Senate. Tripadvisor names the world's top 25 beaches, three in the U.S. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". Montana carved out a religious exemption when it set up a new system for licensing youth facilities and reform schools in 2007. . Since last year, 19 former students have filed lawsuits against the school, alleging physical and emotional abuse, and in . Editors picks (Clemensen denies this happened, but says he considers Bindley one of Agaps top success stories.). He is pleased to hear the Missouri attorney generals office is now investigating Agape Boarding School. Carlson said he never witnessed abuse and credited the school with temporarily keeping him off meth and teaching him how to lay tile. 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. To him, it seemed arbitrary and needlessly brutal. 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. It appeared to be a vast improvement over his previous digs. It was Clemensen who introduced the practice of restraints in the early 2000s, says Ryan Frazier, attorney for Monsees and Mayer PC, which is representing 18 former students in suits against the school. Those details were outlined in motions filed in 19 civil lawsuits requesting that the Cedar County judge overseeing those cases allow . 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. To report a correction or typo, please email [email protected], 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. 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. 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 next home at The Ranch is for youth aging-out of foster care and the need is urgent. Church was on Wednesday and three times on Sunday. They led to a front-page story in the Cedar County Republican. Cedar County, Missouri, where Agap is located, is in the heart of the Bible Belt and Clemensen, his stepfather, Jim, who died in October 2021, and his mother, Kathy, long ago convinced the locals they answer to a higher authority. 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. Agaps handbook states it has a strict hands-off policy regarding the students, and does not use corporal punishment. The industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that claims to help or fix troubled teenagers . But Breshears got a rude welcome. Once they were done, staff members took away Schrags clothes and bedding, he said, and made him wear only a bathrobe and his boxers for two months. I was just like, Screw it, he says. For many survivors of Agap, that would be tough to accept. Seven boys tested positive for tuberculosis. 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