Letter to Missouri Association of Christian Child Care Agencies.

June 27, 2024

Mr. Puckett:

On behalf of at-risk kids and wounded adults, hurt by abusive staff at some of the controversial and largely unregulated Christian boarding schools scattered throughout remote and rural parts of Missouri, we are asking to speak at a meeting of the organization you head, the Missouri Association of Christian Child Care Agencies.

You are no doubt aware that in recent years, a number of employees at these facilities have been accused – in criminal courts, civil lawsuits and mainstream media reports – of severely mistreating youngsters in their care. Surely you share our deep wish that these horrific sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual crimes and misdeeds be stopped, exposed and prevented in the future.

We are deeply disturbed by your group’s recent lobbying effort to overturn a 2021 state law that is designed to protect the safety and well-being of some of Missouri’s most vulnerable children.

In our view, those regulations are the ‘bare minimum’ that kids, parents and citizens deserve. As you know, most states do far more than Missouri does to provide oversight of these worrisome facilities.

In fact, we urge you and other owners and operators of these  ‘faith-based institutions to examine your consciences, pledge to not fight against these sorely-needed reforms in the future and publicly apologize for fighting them last year.

We understand that you believe you know what’s best for kids. You’ve made it abundantly clear that your view – and the view of your group - is that people should be able to house boys and girls with virtually no external monitoring or oversight or restrictions.

But that view – if you’re honest with yourselves – contradicts decades of practice in dozens of states and in fact contradicts simple common sense.

It needlessly endangers the welfare of hundreds or thousands of kids who are already struggling. It exempts your facilities from requirements that citizens assume schools must abide by so that girls and boys aren’t violated by sadists and abusers.

So we ask that you and your colleagues think long and hard about your Christian and civic duty to ‘render unto Caesar’ what is Caesar’s, accept Missouri’s current child safety laws and work with us to improve those laws.

But for starters, we strongly hope that your Association will let representatives of our organization and former boarding school students speak at one of your upcoming meetings soo.

We look forward to hearing from you.

David Clohessy of St. Louis, 314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, Annette Hodges of Sedalia 660 281 8632, hodges1988@gmail.com

SNAP-Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests