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Former Agape students say video proves abuse, demand Missouri school be shut down
Former Agape students say video proves abuse, demand Missouri school be shut downA newly surfaced video that shows what many describe as abuse of a boy at Agape Boarding School in the late 1990s has renewed calls to close the school.
In the footage, a man who former students say is Frank Burton – a long-time pastor at the Cedar County school – can be seen forcing a boy wearing a bathrobe to run alongside him around the perimeter of an outdoor volleyball court, which also served as the school’s boot camp area. It’s been common practice at the school to make boys wear robes if they were on suicide watch or had tried to run away.
At one point, the boy falls, and the man pulls him back up, and as they continue running the video shows the man kick the boy from behind at least twice. Then the man says to a staff member, “Take him to the office. Write him up.”
Former students say Burton was the school’s principal at the time.
“This video just solidifies our stories of abuse that we went through,” said Colton Schrag, of New Mexico, who attended Agape from 2006 to 2010 and testified at a legislative hearing last year on bills to implement more oversight on religious boarding schools. “We have been telling our stories for two years, and now have some proof to back our claims.”
The Star has investigated Agape and other boarding schools in southern Missouri since late summer 2020. Many men who attended Agape in their youth said they were subjected to physical restraints, extreme workouts, long days of manual labor, and food and water withheld as punishment.
And, they said, former students endured constant berating and mind games and some were physically and sexually abused by staff and other youth.
Robert Bucklin, who attended Agape from 2007 to 2012 and is suing the school for abuse, posted the newly surfaced video on Twitter Sunday night. He also forwarded it to Gov. Mike Parson and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt as well as current lawmakers and multiple candidates for office. The video had more than 10,000 views by noon on Monday.
“This is Christian love in Missouri for you,” tweeted Bucklin, of Michigan.
Agape officials did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday. They have not responded to questions from The Star for any of the multiple stories it has published.
The school posted a lengthy letter on its website that was directed at parents in response to The Star’s Nov. 8, 2020, report on the facility that detailed some of the alleged abuse. Leaders denied the allegations of former students and defended their program and employees.
Located just outside Stockton, Agape is the second unlicensed Christian boarding school in the state to be investigated for allegations of abuse. Circle of Hope Girls Ranch near Humansville – also in Cedar County – was closed in 2020 after authorities removed about two dozen students during an investigation into abuse and neglect allegations.
Last year, the attorney general charged Circle of Hope owners Boyd and Stephanie Householder, and now the couple awaits trial on 100 criminal counts – all but one are felonies – including statutory rape, sodomy and physical abuse and neglect. They are scheduled for a pre-trial hearing Monday in Cedar County.
Agape, where Boyd Householder worked for several years before opening Circle of Hope, is one of more than a dozen reform schools that operate in Missouri, where there had been no state oversight because of a nearly 40-year-old law that exempts faith-based facilities.
Legislation passed last year, however, requires schools to register with the state, submit to health and safety inspections and conduct background checks on all employees. It also allows the attorney general, a local prosecutor and the Missouri Department of Social Services to petition the court to close a school if there’s an immediate concern for the students.
“These men in the video are the ones our parents paid to take care of us,” said James Griffey of California, who attended Agape from 1998 to 2001 and also testified at a legislative hearing last year on the boarding school bill. “This kind of thing happens on the daily at Agape, and I’m not exaggerating.
“If a video with the pastor of the church kicking a child and dragging him around doesn’t show systemic and historic abuse to the authorities, I don’t know what will convince them to finally take action.”
The footage also shows young boys ordered to do push ups, which they referred to as “up-downs.”
In late September, the Cedar County prosecuting attorney charged five staff members from Agape with 13 counts of third-degree assault, a low-level Class E felony. All the alleged incidents occurred between Feb. 20, 2020, and Feb. 26, 2021. In March, The Star reported that three of those five still worked at the school.
The Missouri attorney general had recommended that 22 staff members be charged with a total of 65 counts. It isn’t known if any of the 17 not charged still work at the school.
Earlier this year, more than 20 advocacy groups, including Child USA and the National Youth Rights Association, signed a letter calling for state officials to close Agape. And numerous members of the Missouri Democratic Party Progressive Caucus who are running for the Missouri General Assembly and Congress pushed for the closure on social media.
The video has renewed that call.
“Abuse like this has been going on at Agape for decades & it’s been normalized, as you can see, by NO ONE stepping in here,” tweeted Christine Hyman early Monday. “Someone shut this place down. @GovParsonMO @AGEricSchmitt do your jobs.”
Download View in BrowserThe Foundation for Global Sports Development delivers and supports initiatives that promote fair play, education, and the benefits of abuse-free sport for youth.
White Law PLLC was founded to provide more personalized representation to clients facing legal dilemmas. Whether you have an issue that is complex or relatively straightforward, any legal matter can have a significant impact on your life. Our team of experienced lawyers based in Okemos, Michigan, strive to deliver outstanding legal services that exceed your expectations. We utilize our extensive legal knowledge and the latest in technology to bring you effective and proven solutions to your legal issues.