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. Amanda, then 29, says her parents kicked her out when she was 17. By 14, Breshears says, he was fully in staffers crosshairs. 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. Clemensen has said the move was necessary because negative publicity has caused enrollment to plummet, and it was not financially feasible to stay open. 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. Graves did not respond to a request for comment. By 5+ Local Business Owners! Closing Agap wouldnt be so easy, but throughout 2021 and 2022, the lawsuits began. The video was posted Sunday by Robert Bucklin, who says he survived physical and sexual abuse at Agape Boarding School near Stockton. 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. 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! The Kansas City Star ran a series of exposs detailing shocking allegations first about Circle of Hope, then Agap. Staff called it the intake or restraint room. They also look at records from any incidents in which a child is injured or restrained. W ON SEPT. 7, 2022, ATTORNEY GENERAL SCHMITT and the State Department of Social Services (DSS) filed to close Agap. Askins reached out to Child Protective Services and then shared the video with the Householders estranged daughter, Amanda. The schools are unrelated and are not affiliated with any particular Christian denomination. (NBC News presented a copy of Clidences nondisparagement agreement to Agap to confirm or dispute its authenticity, but the school did not respond.). One killed in officer-involved shooting in Branson, Mo. (Agap denies this.) I dont want another kid to have to go through what I went through, Schrag said. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 3 KCPD officers shot; standoff continues into Wednesday morning. but has gone public in the past year with his . We felt they needed God in their lives. The state, he says, had no clue how to get to a kids heart.. At a hearing in the Missouri Legislature on Wednesday, a department official said it has been difficult to substantiate abuse allegations at religious boarding schools due to "a culture of restricted access.". All Rights Reserved. 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. Within months, Jim was both saved and married, and Bryan had a new stepdad. In 1996, Agap moved to a 200-acre ranch in Cedar County, Missouri. Former students wonder if its because of this that authorities failed to act sooner. Operators advertise it as a national boarding school for at-risk or unmotivated boys. These rules and policies are for their son's success and protection. Appalled, he used his phone to surreptitiously record Boyd Householder, who appeared to be ordering Circle of Hope students to physically assault one of their classmates. J.M. And he said, No, theyre not., In 1996, the Clemensens purchased 40 acres just outside of town. DSS added . Staff members at Agap don't have to go through background checks, and the facility is not required to document how or why children are restrained. 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. 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. Agape Ranch plans out programs, fund raisers, and community outreach monthly. KANSAS CITY (AP) Maggie Drew's dad sent her to Circle . They say theyre still haunted by nightmares, hypervigilance, and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In 1991, Todd Bindley, then 13, moved in. It is one of the 2 times he saw his family between 2006 and 2010. If you resisted any, they would start kneeing you, hitting you, just mashing your face into the tile or concrete, wherever it was.. Schmitt last year asked a Cedar County judge to close Agape, but the judge had not yet issued a decision. Mr. Lewis, CAP, has been credentialed as a certified alcohol and drug counselor for 20 years. They led to a front-page story in the Cedar County Republican. I can't find any scriptures in the Bible that would say that it's OK to physically or sexually abuse children, to starve them as means of punishment, to withhold medication, to deprive them of sleep, to force them into manual labor, Ingle said. 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! They denied it. One student, identified only by his initials, describes being forced to run outside while a staffer tailed him in a four-wheeler with a stick attached to the front, threatening to ram anyone who wasnt moving fast enough. In the aftermath of the criminal case, the state enacted the Alabama Youth Residential Facility Abuse Prevention Act in 2017. One morning, he overheard one of the Clemensen daughters asking for help with a math problem, to which Bindley shot back a smartass remark. 24, 2021 at 10:23 AM PDT | Updated: Mar. Contact Agape International Missions Email: info@aim4asia.org Phone: 916.784.2800. In other words, Grandmother can spank the children as can Agap.. Circle of Hope was opened in 2006 by Boyd Householder, a former Agap employee, as a school for rebellious teenage girls. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. For many survivors of Agap, that would be tough to accept. 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 Kansas City Star reported that the Householders deny all allegations . The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 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. Jim and Kathy appeared at the hospital a few weeks later. (Knock her out! he can be heard saying.) I just kind of felt like I was on my own, said Schrag, 28, who now works in the oil industry in Texas. 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. 2022 maintained by Gibler Shaw Enterprises. It appeared to be a vast improvement over his previous digs. She thought heavy metal was like witchcraft, he says. They have law-enforcement ties, too. 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. . Soon theyd be in a place where they were untouchable. The curriculum included traditional math and English. (Clemensen denies this happened, but says he considers Bindley one of Agaps top success stories.). Related: 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. Agape Boarding School is located on a 200-acre ranch in Stockton, Missouri. Agape Baptist Church owns and operates the private boarding school for boys in Stockton, MO. Published: Mar. 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. His outrage became open defiance. STOCKTON, Mo. But hes not complaining. That was the last straw; they had him committed. (Both have pleaded not guilty.) Cant make those decisions until weve had an opportunity to review the investigative reports, and those are being put together, said Gaither. Agape Boarding school has had its share of abuse allegations over the years. They said that they were bringing me to my parents, he says. Many of these programs, which are estimated to serve as many as 200,000 kids at any one time, are allowed to operate with virtual impunity, thanks to federal inaction and permissive state laws. 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. 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 . Their lawyer denies the allegations and says that their innocence will prevail in court. 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. In 1992, the Clemensens announced to their troubled wards that they were moving to a promised land of sorts: an old Air Force base six miles outside of tiny Othello, Washington. Posted at 6:19 PM, Sep 01, 2022. and last updated 4:46 PM, Sep 01, 2022. Staff called it the intake room. Anne Stych June 27, 2022. Hilton tweeted to Missouri's attorney general and governor on June 21. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Full Gala Taping. Former students said their communication with parents and local authorities was censored. Students called it the Padded Palace. A Tri-City Herald story from 1996 said that Franklin County officials ordered the facility to close for code violations over removing and . Meanwhile, Agap was growing. Share. Yet the delays have frustrated state lawmakers. An investigation into the school began after The Star reported on the abuse allegations last year. 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. And its not just Missouri. Trump White House Pressured Disney to Censor Jimmy Kimmel The newly appointed attorney general, Andrew Bailey, had said he planned to continue pursuing closure. Gaither declined to comment, but told the Cedar County Republican that Agap has the right to administer corporal punishment. They claim Clemensen was on a power trip and seemed to enjoy brutalizing the kids in his charge. Located just outside Stockton, Agape is the second unlicensed Christian boarding school in the state to be investigated for allegations of abuse. NBC News reported on the allegations earlier this . 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. He would later help stage an uprising as an attempt to get thrown out of the school. Amanda Householder is suing her parents, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, owners of Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and Boarding School. (KY3) - Missouris attorney general is investigating a second Cedar County boarding school. One student said staffers had branded him with a cross. 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. The state enacted the Alabama Youth Residential Facility abuse agape ranch abuse act in.! Stockton, Mo officers shot ; standoff continues into Wednesday morning a child is injured restrained... Him with a cross will prevail in court is injured or restrained )... 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