Finally, after decades of reported abuse inside some of Missouri's Christian boarding schools, the abused are being heard. Often cast aside and dismissed as lying, troubled teens, they have finally been heard. By a vote of 147-1, the Child Residential Home Notification Act was passed. The measure aimed at stopping abuse and neglect at Missouri's unregulated Christian boarding schools. If the governor sign it, it will mark the first time in at least four decades that the state will have some oversight over unlicensed, faith-based facilities.
The bill's passage is due to the stories former boarding school students shared with lawmakers. They are all adults now, and stepped forward and shared their personal lives.
A 1982 law in Missouri allows faith-based reform schools to claim an exemption from licensing requirement. Because of this law, Missouri has become a safe harbor for unlicensed facilities. They often settle in rural and secluded parts of the state where they can fly under the radar.
The new legislation would require all faith-based boarding schools to register with the state and mandate federal criminal background checks for all employees and volunteers. Sexual abuse, withholding food as a punishment, and physical and psychological verbal abuse were just some of the claims made by former students. Several of these schools, including the Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch, with 102 criminal charges of abuse and neglect, and Agape Boarding Schools, are under investigation by the Missouri attorney general's office. Hooray!!
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