Judge orders Agape Boarding School director's name removed from child abuse registry
A Cole County Circuit Court judge has granted a temporary restraining order to Agape Boarding School director Brian Clemensen, preventing the Children's Division of Missouri's Department of Social Services from placing his name on their Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry.
The order, issued Nov. 23, will expire Dec. 8 unless extended by the judge, Brian Stumpe.
In addition to the temporary restraining order, Clemensen is also requesting a new trial on the case, since the Child Abuse and Neglect Review Board does not conduct evidentiary hearings. This new trial would include testimony under oath, subpoenaing witnesses and cross-examination, and could "take several months or longer" to prepare and hear.
More:Agape Boarding School could be shut down as AG, officials seek the school's closure
In the motion for the temporary restraining order, Clemensen claimed that the Children's Division does not have enough evidence to conclude that abuse or neglect occurred and that it violates his constitutional right to due process. He also says that "immediate and irreparable injury, loss, and damage" will result if he is listed on the central registry.
According to court records, Clemensen filed a report of suspected child abuse by an employee to the Children's Division in February 2021, which prompted the state to open a school-wide investigation. The petition goes on to say that "untrained professionals" with the Missouri State Highway Patrol were among those who interviewed all 121 students "in an improper and wrongful search" in order for the Children's Division to claim that abuse or neglect was taking place.
Following the investigation on May 19, 2022, the state notified Clemensen and several other current and former Agape Boarding School employees that they were going to be added to Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry. Clemensen then filed an administrative appeal against the Child Abuse and Neglect Review Board. The CANRB upheld the finding on Nov. 17, and placed Clemensen on the registry.
Clemensen's lawyer, Jason Call of Call & Gentry Law Group in Jefferson City, declined to comment on the pending litigation. A request to DSS was not answered as of press time.
Ongoing investigation, lawsuits involving Agape Boarding School
For more than a year, the Stockton-based Christian reform school has been under investigation for abuse allegations.
In June, the school lost its accreditation from the National Council of Private School Accreditation and the Association of Christian Teachers and Schools.
In August, a former dean at Agape Boarding School was accused of transporting a teen against his will from California to Stockton.
In September 2021, Cedar County Prosecutor Ty Gaither filed 13 low-level "Class E" felony assault charges against five people linked to Agape Boarding School.
More than 19 lawsuits have been filed against Agape Boarding School by former students, including graphic accounts of the alleged abuse.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Agape Boarding School director removed from child abuse registry
