Former Missouri boarding school students rally in Springfield, Missouri, seeking awareness and state action on religious boarding schools

Three women who say they survived severe child abuse at Christian boarding schools in Missouri held a small demonstration on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in front of the federal courthouse in Springfield. Aralysa Baker, Maggie Drew and Amanda Householder, all of whom attended such schools in the state, were joined by David Clohessy, a St. Louis man and former executive director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. They said they wanted to raise awareness of what they call “boarding school abuse” in the Ozarks and across Missouri, and they argued that religious boarding schools in the state operate in a lightly regulated environment.

KSMU reported that it found at least 23 civil lawsuits related to accusations of boarding school abuse, all filed since 2022, against two Christian boarding schools in southwest Missouri: Agape Boarding School in Stockton and Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Humansville. The lawsuits involve allegations of physical, emotional and sexual child abuse. Both schools are now reportedly closed. KSMU noted that they are not the only Missouri boarding schools to draw scrutiny.

Baker attended ABM Ministries Lighthouse Christian Academy in Wayne County, which is also now closed. She said that the school’s owners, Larry and Carmen Musgrave, were arrested two months ago on kidnapping charges, and she said each has been charged with one count of kidnapping. Preliminary hearings in their cases are expected next month. Baker said she hopes more charges will follow. She is 31 and lives in Oklahoma, and she said she was abused by adults at her school as a child. She also said she is too old to sue under the statute of limitations. KSMU left messages with the Musgraves’ attorney on Tuesday evening.

Drew said she was sent to Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and boarding school on October 28, 2007, and remained there until she was nearly 21. She said it took a long time for people to begin listening about Circle of Hope, and she described the experience as severely abusive and traumatic for all the students there. Householder, 33, now lives in California. Like Drew, she formerly lived on the Circle of Hope campus. Unlike Drew, Householder’s parents owned the school.

Householder sued her parents, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, two years ago. In court papers, she alleged that her parents subjected her to forced labor, physical abuse and sexual abuse, and that they required her to punish other Circle of Hope students. She said her lawsuit has now been resolved. She also said she feels she is asking the state of Missouri to act because she and many others lost their childhoods while in the state’s care. Circle of Hope Girls Ranch closed in 2020, after Householder began publicly sharing abuse allegations online.

Householder’s parents are scheduled to go to trial in October on 99 felony charges and one misdemeanor. Authorities suspect them of offenses including child molestation, statutory sodomy, sexual contact with a student, and endangering the welfare of a child in a ritual or ceremony. KSMU left messages with their attorney on Tuesday evening. Clohessy said he wanted to make people aware of boarding school abuse so that more abusers could be brought to justice. Speaking for children who could not protect themselves reflects the concern for the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Clohessy also said he wanted to put Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey “on blast” for not doing enough, in SNAP’s view. He said SNAP recently delivered a letter to Bailey’s office calling for actions including a statewide investigation of religious boarding schools. Clohessy said Bailey could use his public platform to warn parents about these facilities. He added that being heard by someone in authority can be tremendously healing for abuse survivors.

KSMU asked Bailey’s office about SNAP’s letter. A spokesperson provided a written statement saying the office has three full-time prosecutors working on the case against the former owners of Circle of Hope. In response to SNAP’s call for a statewide investigation of religious boarding schools, the statement said Missouri’s attorney general “does not have original jurisdiction to prosecute criminal cases, including those of sexual abuse and trafficking.”

Source: Read the original report