Finally, Missouri moves on abusive ‘reform school,’ but don’t credit AG Eric Schmitt

Wednesday, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced more than 100 felony charges against the owners and operators of a now-closed “reform school” in southwest Missouri.

Boyd and Stephanie Householder, who owned the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and Boarding School near Humansville, now face criminal allegations of abuse and assault.

But the fact is, Schmitt deserves little credit for this case. He’s been the attorney general for more than two years. It should not have taken this long for local authorities to reach out for his help, and for his office to respond.

Now that the charges have been filed, however, we should learn more about the catastrophe at Circle of Hope, in which much of official Missouri appears complicit.

The Householders, like all criminal suspects, are entitled to the presumption of innocence, which both have claimed. At the same time, the public evidence against the pair — including testimony from the girls who spent time at the home — seems overwhelming.

The alleged abuse is shocking. Routine physical and psychological punishment. Sexual assault. Improper restraints. The list goes on, and is sickening. If they’re found guilty, the Householders should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

But the prosecution of the two should not end the inquiry into the Circle of Hope ranch, and other facilities like it in Missouri. In fact, the charges should mark the beginning of a thorough examination of how so-called “reform schools” operate in the state.

We should start with law enforcement authorities, who either knew of the alleged abuse and ignored it for years, aiding and abetting the conduct, or didn’t know and were derelict in their duties. That includes police officers and sheriffs deputies in Cedar County, and wherever else these homes operate.

Ignorance cannot be an excuse. The Star has led on the reporting of these concerns, and other news outlets have followed. If reporters can find victims of abuse, so can law enforcement. Missouri must know why this school and others were allowed to proliferate.

State oversight officials have claimed some knowledge of the problems at the ranch, and other similar operations, but say they’ve been unable to act because the schools’ claims of religious affiliation preclude licensing and serious regulation.

We should also know what Eric Schmitt knew, and when he knew it.

To their belated credit, some members of the Missouri legislature have stepped forward to propose regulation of the schools, and an accounting of them. That work should continue, and a bill providing for real oversight should be on the governor’s desk by the end of this year’s session.

A hearing on one such measure, HB 557, was scheduled for Thursday.

Missouri has a long history of excluding religious enterprises from serious supervision, claiming First Amendment protection. It’s ridiculous. There is nothing religious or holy — or constitutionally protected — about the rape, abuse and sodomy of young people.

Those who would engage in such criminal behavior cannot see the state as a sanctuary.

In December, The Star reported that at least seven schools moved to Missouri after abuse investigations in other states. Four other schools opened here because of minimal oversight. That isn’t an accident. The schools are drawn to locations where mistreatment is often overlooked.

“The state of Missouri is a breeding ground for these places,” boarding schools investigator Charles Kennedy told The Star for that article. “It’s a hotbed. There’s no oversight, and they try to hide behind the First Amendment.”

Finally, the charges in the Circle of Hope case should serve as a warning to parents considering sending their children to similar facilities. The stories of dozens of former residents are haunting and tragic.

Most of Missouri — law enforcement, prosecutors, regulators, investigators, legislators — failed these children. It is a stain on the state, and should shame all of us.