MO - Stockton, Agape Boarding School-Allegations of Kids Abused for Over 30 Years

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Satch

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Guys,

One of the most horrific allegations of abuse in the news now of the Agape Boarding School for troubled teens. Masquerading as a Christian Baptist School, allegations of sexual, physical and metal abuse in the forms of beatings, torture, and starvation that have been going on daily for over 30+ years

Now, hear the incredible stories from former students, and staffers, who are coming together to take legal action to get this "School of Horrors" closed down. With 19 lawsuits pending, this school of horror is still open. Here is a long two part interview from a few years ago, when former students and staff went on a nationwide podcast to tell their stories of great courage and survival speaking out against the school.

Getting this information out there so that Webslueuths can help:

Each interview runs for over two hours:

(Each interview ran for two nights, but the dates they were published differ) Credit and thanks to the John Devitto Show podcast:

Part 1:
www.audacy.com

Horrific Abuse Reported At The Agape Boarding School In Stockton, Missouri

<P>We Interviewed SEVEN Former Student And Staff Members From The Agape Boarding School In Stockton, Missouri. They Told Their Stories Of Severe Emotional, Sexual, And Physical Abuse Happening At This School. We Had Young Adults From 1994-2018 On The Show. They All Told The Similar Stories. They...
www.audacy.com www.audacy.com

Part 2:
www.audacy.com

MORE Horrific Allegation Of Abuse At Agape Boarding School In Stockton, Missouri!

<P>We Interviewed SIX ADDITIONAL Former Students And From The Agape Boarding School In Stockton, Missouri. That Is THIRTEEN Total! They Told Their Stories Of Severe Emotional, Sexual, And Physical Abuse Happening At This School. We Had Young Adults From 1994-2018 On The Show. They All Told The...
www.audacy.com www.audacy.com

(Warning: Strong language in some of the stories)

Update: You Tube video on News Nation's "Bansfield" show from June 23, 2022: Mom claims how her son with special needs was abused at the school:


Satch
 
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Guys,

Here is how to hear more stories about the abuses at Agape Boarding school from survivors:

1.) Visit the You Tube Channel "The Hammer Podcast here:

2.) Find the search box. If it is not viable, select the right arrow on the channel to bring it into view.

3.) Type "Agape" (no quotes) in the search box.

4.) As you scroll down, you will see about 15 stories from the former students, former staffers, and in one case, a parent of a child who went to Agape, and was so horrified at the conditions there, she got her son out after about 4 1/2 months.

Most powerful impact stories come from former students, "Mack", "Sam", "Jay" and "Griffin." Griffin is one of the coolest, funniest, most articulate people I have ever heard! His mom is named "April" and she came on to the podcast to talk about how she got Griffin out of that hellhole! This place is run like a Nazi Concentration Camp and needs to be shut down!

These podcasts are not some little new snippets. They are all approximately one hour to ninety minutes long, (some strong language) But they give the best visual impact of what happened to these kids.

If you have a TwItter account, you will want to follow the handle @ExposingAgape for more information and resources.

Satch
 
Resources and Help:

We advise current and/or former staff to report any abuses you may have witnessed while working at Agape Boarding School. For information on your rights and how to take action, visit www.heal-online.org/blowthewhistle.htm. If you were fired or forced to resign because you opposed any illegal and/or unethical practices at Agape Boarding School, you have the right to take action.

If you were harmed (family or survivor) by Agape Boarding School, please contact info@heal-online.org if you remember the long-term employees and from which years. This will help! Also, if you recognize any of these staff as having worked at another program, please send in any information about their past or present employment at other facilities and/or cults.

Please don’t place your loved one in Agape Boarding School and rescue them if they are there now!

Note that it is a TOS violation to post names of accused people directly on the Webslueth's site. However, the above agencies have made available a link for public record of staffers who worked at Agape Boarding School. This service is designed to provide a radar watch system of where they are working now. So many of these group home systems and staffers, simply leave one state when the whistle gets blown, and go to another state with no regulations to build more schools to continue the abuse of kids. For the last several years, the goal is to offer network support through the Internet and social media to make this awareness as global as possible to save these kids from being abused:

Agape Boarding School Staff List Record Reference: Program Staff Information

Satch
 
Here is a list of varied abuses at Agape Boarding School for Boys confirmed by hundreds of former students, and former staffers at Agape consolidated if you don't have time to listen to the stories on You Tube of the podcasts:

docs.google.com

Agape Boarding School Abuses

Agape Boarding School Abuses and Ethics Violations The following are known abuses verified by former students and former staffers at Agape Boarding School for Boys. For reference, search for The Hammer Podcast and the Jon Devitto Show to hear stories of survival from former students, former staf...
docs.google.com docs.google.com

Satch
 
This sounds really terrible. How is it that the school hasn't been shut down? This is very troublesome and somewhat similar to other cases of child abuse by religious institutions that is not investigated by authorities.

Good to see this story is now being covered in the local news media

www.ky3.com

Five more lawsuits filed against Agape Boarding School in Vernon County, Mo.

There are growing claims of abuse against a Christian school in Cedar County.
www.ky3.com www.ky3.com

Earlier news stories

www.ky3.com

9 more lawsuits filed against Agape Boarding School in Cedar County, Mo.

Several more former students of a boy’s Christian boarding school in Cedar County are filing lawsuits.
www.ky3.com www.ky3.com

Here's a story about another "Christian" boarding school in Missouri that's been accused of violence and abuse. It sounds like the state needs to do more than "regulate" these schools.

www.ky3.com

Missouri regulates boarding schools after abuse allegations

Fifteen years after Maggie Drew was first sent to Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch in southwestern Missouri, she says she still bears psychological scars and physical pain from abuse.
www.ky3.com www.ky3.com

The schools are unrelated and are not affiliated with any particular Christian denomination. But both opened in southwest Missouri under a 1982 state law that gave religious boarding schools free rein and the state no way to monitor how kids were educated. Even the health department had no oversight, including for schools that claimed to address mental health, behavioral and addiction issues.

The new law approved last year followed extensive reporting from The Kansas City Star that found that several faith-based boarding schools, including Agape, relocated to Missouri after being investigated or shut down for abuse or neglect elsewhere.
Click to expand...

...
Boyd and Stephanie Householder opened Circle of Hope in 2006 in the remote town of Humansville. “We use the BIBLE to teach (girls) that they are to obey their Parents and the authority over them,” the school’s website, which has been taken down, stated.

The school closed amid a 2020 investigation; 25 girls were removed. In March 2021, Boyd Householder, 72, was charged with 79 crimes and Stephanie, 56, was charged with 22.

Sixteen former residents alleged they were restrained with handcuffs, whipped with belts, and punched. Nearly two dozen counts against Boyd Householder accuse him of sexual contact with girls.
Click to expand...

....
After a state investigation last year, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt recommended charges against 22 Agape employees. But in Missouri, only the local prosecutor can file charges, and Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither does not plan to file more.

“The attorney general has his agenda,” Gaither said. “I’m an experienced prosecutor and I filed what I believe are the appropriate charges.”

James Clidence, who taught math at Agape from 2012 to 2015, said he left after witnessing abuses so concerning that his wife contacted federal, state and local authorities. None would investigate, he said.
Click to expand...

These "schools" are located in the same area where a recent torture and murder case is being prosecuted. The area has seen similar cases of sex trafficking, torture, sex with minors and other types of sex crimes, including the current prosecution of two men who tortured and murdered Cassidy Rainwater, a young woman whose body parts were found in a freezer at the cabin of her killers.
 
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Guys,
What is the best way to get action on this House of Horror so that the following happen:

1.) The staff at this home can't hurt anymore kids?
2.) Legal action against the owners of the school?
3.) Testimony of hundreds of kids, former staff, and parents brings legal action and convictions to the owners of the school?
4.) Stopping the school owners from simply going to another state, and opening up a home under a different name?

The owners of this facility are millionaires, and are the masters of brain-washing and deception using mind-control manipulation, and blackmail, in addition to strong legal and political connections with the local police department and sheriff's office there.

The other thing to keep in mind, and this is even more abuse horror at this place. Many videos from the kids, former staffers, and parents speaking out have said that the owners do not hire any outside contractors to do work around the school. They have the students doing all the maintenance with obviously no pay or compensation for them. They have them digging ditches, moving huge rocks, (boulder size at times.) cleaning up animal dung, all for "The Lord." And obviously, if they don't do it, they get restrained and beaten.

A lot of these kids are homeless, now of legal age, and because Agape gave them almost no exposure to the outside world, when they get out, when they turn 18, they have no environmental skills or job skills, nor a penny to their name. There education there is ACE self-paced modules in the form of Baptist religious teachings in the form of every subject. If you didn't conform to their beliefs, they held you back in education, demoted you in the program, gave you physical punishment.

Some of the kids are being mind-controlled and brainwashed so badly, that they are bribed and manipulated into staying their past 18 to become staff members! This is the ultimate prime example of how a cult operates. This can't even be called a "Boarding School" It's a cult compound with the abuses and horrors of a Nazi Concentration Camp.

Twitter and Facebook have groups dedicated to closing down Agape and working for successful prosecutions and convictions of the abusers there. Hundreds of new stories are coming in everyday. With Websleuths being global and showing great passion with helping missing kids and children in abusive situations, going global with this information is very important.

Satch
 
Satch said:
Guys,
What is the best way to get action on this House of Horror so that the following happen:

1.) The staff at this home can't hurt anymore kids?
2.) Legal action against the owners of the school?
3.) Testimony of hundreds of kids, former staff, and parents brings legal action and convictions to the owners of the school?
4.) Stopping the school owners from simply going to another state, and opening up a home under a different name?

The owners of this facility are millionaires, and are the masters of brain-washing and deception using mind-control manipulation, and blackmail, in addition to strong legal and political connections with the local police department and sheriff's office there.

The other thing to keep in mind, and this is even more abuse horror at this place. Many videos from the kids, former staffers, and parents speaking out have said that the owners do not hire any outside contractors to do work around the school. They have the students doing all the maintenance with obviously no pay or compensation for them. They have them digging ditches, moving huge rocks, (boulder size at times.) cleaning up animal dung, all for "The Lord." And obviously, if they don't do it, they get restrained and beaten.

A lot of these kids are homeless, now of legal age, and because Agape gave them almost no exposure to the outside world, when they get out, when they turn 18, they have no environmental skills or job skills, nor a penny to their name. There education there is ACE self-paced modules in the form of Baptist religious teachings in the form of every subject. If you didn't conform to their beliefs, they held you back in education, demoted you in the program, gave you physical punishment.

Some of the kids are being mind-controlled and brainwashed so badly, that they are bribed and manipulated into staying their past 18 to become staff members! This is the ultimate prime example of how a cult operates. This can't even be called a "Boarding School" It's a cult compound with the abuses and horrors of a Nazi Concentration Camp.

Twitter and Facebook have groups dedicated to closing down Agape and working for successful prosecutions and convictions of the abusers there. Hundreds of new stories are coming in everyday. With Websleuths being global and showing great passion with helping missing kids and children in abusive situations, going global with this information is very important.

Satch
Click to expand...

According to the links in my post above, Missouri has a problem with its laws governing these places. The only person who can bring charges or shut down the school (per the article above) is the district attorney of the county where the school is located. So far, that's not happening. According to those articles, the loophole in Missouri law is the reason why these schools are locating there.

IANAL, but it seems there should be some other way to deal with these problematic schools.

ETA: It seems getting these stories into the news media, hopefully at a national level, might help spur action. At the very least it should give parents a reason to remove their children from the problematic schools. JMO
 
Powerful article about Agape! (Current) (July 4, 2022)

Sounds like Agape's lawyer helped create their fraudulent website! Great courage to all the kids for speaking out against this hell-hole! Kids, parents, families, and former staffers, need to keep the stories and lawsuits coming! Agape Boarding School really is a Concentration Camp type of environment:

www.thedailybeast.com

Ex-Students Reveal Abuse at ‘Christian Torture Compound’

Former residents of Agapé Boarding School opened up to The Daily Beast about claims of systematic abuse as they demand the state immediately shut down the Baptist facility.
www.thedailybeast.com

Parents need to get their kids out of there NOW! It's only a matter of time before some poor kid dies there from Agape's abuse.

Satch
 
Another way to help,

Since Websleuths is a global community devoted to helping kids and families, community members can assist by voting down (1-starring) Agape on Yelp and Google Reviews. Many parents look at these reviews. The more negative reviews that are posted online about this horrible place, the less likely parents are going to send their kids to Agape.

The abuse is so terrible. The impact of this is intensified by what I am about to say, verified by hundreds of kids, former staff members, and some parents who are speaking out:

Parents are paying almost $4000 a month to Agape Boarding School to have their kids beaten up by sadistic cult-like owners and staff. That's how bad things are at Agape.

Shut it down, prosecute the abusers, and sentence them to prison for very long terms. If this is not done, staffers will just go to another state with less regulations, and open up another cult compound masquerading as a school, under a different name.

By not sending your son(s) here, you just might save their lives!

Satch
 
This is terrible. I actually called the school a year ago with questions because I run a blog where I spotlight abuse at Christian schools. I wanted them to highlight the precise Old Testament principles they were applying to discipline and if their methods of discipline are data-driven by academic research or just Bronze Age musings pulled out of the Bible. They hung up on me. I agree that parents should write negative reviews. The school will most likely hide under piles of cowardly "religious freedom" exemptions and excuses. They will view any oversight by the state as "government persecution of our religious freedom". SAD!
 
Not directly related to Agape, but to the greater problem of these residential schools for children- Paris Hilton, who was kidnapped in the night and taken to a residential school in Utah, where she endured months of physical and psychological abuse, has been working hard with legislators to draft "legislation that would give children in youth facilities the right to call their parents, be free from restraints, and have access to clean drinking water and nutritional meals — none of which is currently ensured for thousands of children in these facilities nationwide."

Food and water?! Those are absolutely basic needs. What kind of "schools" would deliberately withhold food and water from children!? There absolutely needs to be more oversight on these programs, if they aren't shut down for good. The abusive staff needs to be charged accordingly for abusing these kids, or standing by, watching and knowing the abuse that was taking place, and doing nothing.

Paris' story is so shockingly similar to the kids who attended Agape, down to her parents also being brainwashed by the school into thinking this was the only way to save their child. They had no idea they were sending her away to be abused, and all of the communication with her parents were monitored, so she was never able to speak out about the abuse as it was happening.

It's heartbreaking to hear about. The kids go home "changed" but its not because they want to "be better" its because they've suffered so much abuse and are now traumatized. Legislation needs to be passed to prevent these kids from enduring trauma at the hands of those entrusted to protect them.

www.nbcnews.com

Paris Hilton pushes for bill to crack down on abusive youth facilities

Hilton condemned a “systemwide lack of transparency and accountability” in the troubled teen industry and urged support for new regulations.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com

You can watch Paris Hilton's documentary about her experience at Provo Canyon School here:
 
Good morning!

Another way to get your kids out of Agape. Make up a word, phrase, or action that only you and your parents know that there's trouble. Than, on a phone call or campus visit, or in a letter, use that phrase. Go there, get your kid out!

Satch
 
Satch said:
Good morning!

Another way to get your kids out of Agape. Make up a word, phrase, or action that only you and your parents know that there's trouble. Than, on a phone call or campus visit, or in a letter, use that phrase. Go there, get your kid out!

Satch
Click to expand...
And if Agape pulls any "You-Know-What" saying you can't send your kid home, get yourself a civil rights attorney so that your rights as a parent and your kids rights are protected! Go down there with your attorney and get your kid out of there!!! (unannounced!) We have to get Missouri parents, politicians, and legal people reading this thread and taking action to save these boys!

Satch
 
Sup?

Would love to get former students and former staffers of Agape to come out here and speak out against the school! I think many of the kids who are survivors would love to know that Websleuths is a place where people can come together for support. (The former students are now of legal age. More and more are speaking out by the day!) Some of them might be willing to become case insiders. The more people who get involved, the stronger the case becomes against Agape to shut them down, and prosecute the abusers.

A special thank you to everyone who is working to get this information out and create an awareness of this topic at Webslueths!

Satch
 
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