Missouri lawmakers hear testimony on abuse reports at unlicensed Christian reform schools, where state oversight is lacking

Despite dozens of students coming forward with allegations of abuse at Christian reform schools across Missouri, the state Department of Social Services said Monday that it has no oversight of such facilities. The department said they are unlicensed, which is permitted under a Missouri law that exempts facilities operated by religious organizations. At youth residential facilities, the agency also has no legal authority to notify other families when there has been a credible finding of abuse or neglect.

Over four hours, lawmakers on the House Committee on Children and Families heard testimony on the number of unlicensed facilities across the state and where state oversight falls short. The committee plans to issue a report on its findings and recommendations in two weeks. The hearing followed investigations by The Kansas City Star into Christian boarding schools that had substantiated reports of abuse, neglect and sexual abuse. The Star spoke with dozens of former students who described emotional and physical abuse, being used as manual labor, and calls for help that went unanswered.

According to the reporting, some students came from as far away as California and spent years in Missouri facilities, and some reports of abuse did not lead to reforms. Rep. Sheila Solon, a Republican from St. Joseph and chair of the committee, said, “These children are from out of state. They don’t know anyone. And the message that it sends is: Nobody cares about you. You have spoken up about abuse, there’s been a preponderance of evidence, but you’re still returned to be abused by these people.” She added, “We need to protect them. And somebody needs to care about them. (Psalm 82:3)”

Caitlin Whaley, the department’s director of legislation and communications, said the department does not know how many unlicensed facilities are operating and does not verify their religious affiliations. “Facilities are not required to provide proof of any of those affiliations, so the department doesn’t really have any authority to ascertain the veracity of those claims,” she said. “We take them at their word.”

Kelly Schultz, director of the Office of Child Advocate, which investigates complaints against the Children’s Division and reviews allegations of abuse, said the standard should not depend on location. “The definition of abuse and neglect does not change based on the location,” she said. Whaley reported that Missouri currently has 110 licensed facilities operated by 61 treatment agencies. In fiscal year 2019, there were 71 substantiated allegations against institutional staff members, an 8.1 percent substantiation rate, and 30 substantiated allegations against school personnel, a 4.3 percent rate.

Under state law, a family may learn of an active abuse or neglect investigation only if their own child must be interviewed in another child’s case. To learn about previous reports, parents must submit a written request along with a signed and notarized release form from the person providing care. Rep. Keri Ingle, a Democrat from Lee’s Summit and a former Children’s Division investigator who requested the hearing, asked how families would be made aware of allegations in order to sign such a form. Whaley said parents would need to request the reports as part of their “due diligence” when placing a child in a residential facility.

David Melton, general counsel for CNS International Ministries and Heartland Christian Academy, which has faced reports of abuse and the use of corporal punishment, said religious leaders in Missouri are already required to act as mandated reporters and that the system “works when you have good actors at the state level.” He said, “The question we always come down to is, ‘Who’s watching the watchers.’ That’s the problem that we have. What happens when you have somebody that does not have a charitable view of religion.” Woody Cozad, a lobbyist, attorney and former Missouri Republican Party chairman who lobbied for CNS Corporation from 2003 to 2019, said that in his experience the facilities “were the victims of an abuse of state power.”

Source: Read the original report