KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Agapé, the southwest Missouri boarding school at the heart of several years-long investigations, said Wednesday it will close its doors.
The school posted a statement on its website Wednesday afternoon.
It later released full statement confirming the closure.
“For the past 30 years Agape Boarding School has provided over 6,000 boys with an opportunity to get their life back on track and toward a bright future," Bryan Clemensen, former director of Agape Boarding School said in a statement. "Agape has made the decision to stop providing services to the boys in its care effective January 20, 2023. Agape’s focus is on getting the boys who remain in the program safely transitioned to their parents or to foster care, other group homes or residential programs. Agape’s decision to close is voluntary and solely due to the lack of financial resources to continue caring for the boys.”
Last year, lawsuits started to mount against the boarding school following the arrest of a former dean at the school.
In September, a Cedar County judge issued an orderthat Agape Boarding School should close and children should be removed from the school.
In a KSHB 41 I-Team report last September, investigator Jessica McMaster described allegations of abuse from students that, in some instances, may have gone on for years.
The school billed itself as providing help for “troubled teenagers,” and offered ranch-based programs and therapy.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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