'Road to hell': Students who faced abuse at Missouri boarding schools call for action
Thrown to the ground and restrained for hours. Forced to eat food they had thrown up. Silenced with duct-tape over their mouths. Beaten without immediate medical care.
Those were just some of instances of the horrific physical and sexual abuse former residents, parents and staff described witnessing in youth residential facilities within Missouri and across the country.
I dont know how a kid has not died in your state in these schools that exist, said Colton Schrag, who spent years at Agape Boarding School in southwest Missouri, where dozens of former students have described experiencing abuse.
For decades, Missouri has not had a clear understanding of the scope of unlicensed youth residential facilities in the state and no oversight over them, as state law allows facilities operated by religious organizations to be exempt from licensure.
Read more: https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/10/road-to-hell-students-who-faced-abuse-at-missouri-boarding-schools-call-for-action/