Missouri must take action, prosecute abuses at unregulated boarding schools

In the past few years, three private, for-profit Missouri boarding schools — in Branson, Stockton and Humansville — have generated headlines because of allegations of sexual, psychological and physical abuse.

Now, there's a fourth.

Over the past several weeks, three staffers at Lighthouse Christian Academy in southeastern Missouri have been arrested and charged with assaulting or kidnapping youngsters who were in their care. The Wayne County Sheriff's investigation is ongoing and he predicts more arrests.

Are these four facilities aberrations? Or are they signs that perhaps other similar institutions deserve a closer look and perhaps more state regulation?

Dozens of these "schools," mostly purportedly for "troubled teens," can be found throughout rural Missouri, including in Greene, Jaspar, Taney, Johnson, Dade, Howell, Stone and Oregon countries.

At Kanakuk Kamp near Branson — part of a “multimillion-dollar global enterprise” — one former employee who pleaded guilty to child sex charges may have victimized hundreds, according to the prosecutor who oversaw the case. (A News-Leader/USA TODAY Network investigation found that camp staffers “prioritized ministering to those accused of wrongdoing, instead of seeking justice for victims.”)

In 2020, at least 24 students were removed by authorities from Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch near Humansville after at least 15 people said they reported abuse there to at least six local, state and federal agencies. The facility’s founders face criminal trials this fall.

The now-shuttered Agape School near Stockton “has been the subject of (several) state and location investigations.” In 2021, five employees were charged with abuse counts (although then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt contended that 22 workers should have been charged).

On the civil side, many lawsuits have been filed against Kanakuk. At least one is pending against Agape.

A case against Lighthouse settled for $750,000 and it’s just a matter of time until other victims there file similar suits.

That’s encouraging. The already-wounded and still-suffering need and deserve justice and healing.

But even more important is prevention of abuse for the now-vulnerable. More arrests and convictions are crucial.

That happens best when victims, witnesses and whistleblowers — especially current and former school employees — pick up the phone and call law enforcement. It is, of course, hard and risky to do. But kids depend on caring adults to speak up and protect them.

And it’s important to remember that sometimes even an old, vague or seemingly insignificant bit of information or rumor or suspicion may be helpful to police or prosecutors. So citizens should err on the side of calling, rather than doing nothing.

Given these scandals at three similar schools in just a few years, it’s reckless for anyone to assume that every other such facility is being operated perfectly.

Let’s not wait for more pain — and more painful disclosures — happen. Let’s act now to safeguard the most vulnerable among us.

David Clohessy of St. Louis is a child sex abuse victim, a Drury University graduate and the volunteer director of Missouri SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. He can be reached at 314-566-9790 or davidgclohessy@gmail.com.