Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a petition Monday for Agape Boarding School to be shut down and also requested a new judge in the case.
The petition cites an "immediate health or safety concern for the children at Agape," per an investigation by the state earlier this month.
The state's filing cites several reasons for wanting the controversial school shuttered, including the abuse and neglect of students by school staff stemming from an investigation by the Missouri Department of Social Services.
One Agape staff member has been charged with assault and several other staff members have not undergone "mandatory criminal background checks" as required by state law.
The new Petition for Injunctive Relief follows a dismissal of the Sept. 7 petition after the office was unable to present new evidence in the original filing, according to a tweet from Schmitt.
The action comes after Judge David Munton ended a court order to keep state-appointed monitors at the school in the Monday morning conference.
Munton had previously ordered on Sept. 12 that the school could remain open with 24-hour surveillance, but after his decision to end that monitoring, Schmitt asked for a new judge.
"The Office has asked the Court under the new case that was just filed to reinstate DSS access to ensure that the students at Agape are safe" Schmitt said via Twitter. "We have been steadfast in our fight to protect the students at Agape, and we will not stop until justice is done in this case."
