Missouri Opens Criminal Investigation into Alleged Abuse at Agapé Boarding School

The state of Missouri has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at Agapé Boarding School, a Christian institution in the rural southwestern part of the state, a spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed on a Friday in late February 2021. NBC News had reported the allegations earlier that month. The school typically has about 150 boys enrolled, ages 12 to 17.

Agapé advertises itself as a facility that “turns around rebellious boys.” More than a dozen alumni and former staff members told NBC News that Agapé employees frequently assaulted the boys in their care and that the school censored students’ communication with their parents. These are allegations made to NBC News, and they have not been tested in court.

The Highway Patrol said its Division of Drug and Crime Control is conducting the investigation “at the request of the Cedar County Sheriff and the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division.” A spokesman would not say what prompted the criminal probe or when it began. The development came two weeks after NBC News and “Dateline” published the results of their own investigation into abuse allegations at Agapé. The Kansas City Star had published similar articles in recent months.

The Missouri Department of Social Services declined to comment on the Agapé investigation, citing confidentiality rules around child abuse inquiries. The department said such probes “are often co-investigated with local law enforcement.” Cedar County Sheriff James McCrary did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did Agapé. The school’s leaders had not previously responded to requests for comment on the abuse allegations. On its website, Agapé says it has hosted more than 4,000 students ages 12 to 17 over the past three decades. The site also states that boys “will find any and every excuse to give their parents as to why they shouldn’t remain here,” and that if the school were shut down, the students would end up in jail.

NBC News also found that Missouri is one of 17 states that exempt religious boarding schools from licensing and oversight by state child welfare and education authorities. At least 23 states, including Missouri, do not require religious boarding schools to inform their state education department that they exist.

After hearing testimony this month from alumni of religious boarding schools, including Agapé, a Missouri House committee advanced bipartisan legislation requiring these schools to register with the state. The bill would also give the Department of Social Services authority to seek to close such facilities after instances of suspected abuse, a measure meant to protect boys who cannot always defend themselves (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Source: Read the original report