Agape Boarding School should be shut down until Missouri knows the abuse has stopped
Credible reports of past abuse at Agape Boarding School wasn’t enough to convince Cedar County Circuit Court Judge David Munton to shut down the Baptist-affiliated Christian boarding school in Stockton, Missouri. The facility remains open, despite substantiated reports of physical abuse at the school and Munton’s shutdown order last week.
We believe this decision puts the mental and physical safety of the 63 students housed there at risk. The school should be closed until the Missouri attorney general’s office and the Missouri Department of Social Services are certain the school is safe to reopen.
After all, following a DSS investigation, an Agape staff member was placed on the state’s central registry for child abuse and neglect. That led to Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office petitioning Munton last week to close the school and remove its students, citing concerns for their safety.
Munton initially ruled in favor of shutting down Agape. But one day later, the judge put his own ruling on hold to give time for Cedar County Sheriff James McCrary to visit the Agape campus to verify if the staff member listed on the registry still worked at the school.
Turns out, that staff member is no longer working there — and the judge on Monday questioned why Schmitt’s office was only now seeking to close the school. The answer to that, of course, is that the attorney general did not have authority to seek a court-ordered injunction to close a facility until last year.
On Monday, Munton also denied two former students an opportunity to testify about alleged abuse at Agape — a questionable decision. He set a Sept. 21 court date to consider testimony from one of the witnesses about being abused while a student there.
More than 20 civil lawsuits have been filed against the school by former students. The allegations are serious. For years, children were allegedly subjected to mental, physical and sexual abuse by Agape staff.
John Schultz, an attorney for Agape, argued there was no proof that an “immediate health and safety concern” exists for students at the school, according to a report in the Kansas City Star.
But we know of at least 11 state substantiated cases of abuse at the school that were brought about after an investigation by The Star. Several more substantiated allegations of abuse are in the appeals process, according to the Department of Social Services.
And thus our concern about the safety of current Agape students. Under Missouri law, substantiated findings of abuse or neglect can be appealed, allowing an abuser to remain on staff during the appeals process.
We recognize that closing a school such as Agape is a big decision. The judge should consider the case carefully. But as he does, he must recognize that the onus is on him to make sure that current students are safe as he mulls the right outcome. Child safety advocates have recoiled at his delay, and he has yet to justify the about-face in permitting the school to remain open.
For more than two years, Star reporters have dug into allegations of abuse at Agape and other boarding schools in southern Missouri. Sweeping reform followed. For the first time, unlicensed Christian boarding schools in Missouri must register with the state. Employee background checks are mandatory. Boarding schools, unlike in years past, can’t evade health, safety and fire inspections,
Now, survivors of abuse at Agape are revictimized with every turn of injustice in this case. For the sake of children at the boarding school, our hope is for Munton to consider the state’s argument that the totality of egregious acts of abuse at Agape is sufficient enough to close the school’s doors for good.
If he rules otherwise, the safety of every one of those students going forward is on his shoulders.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 4:17 PM.