ST. LOUIS – A lawmaker from St. Louis wants to require licenses for all residential care facilities in Missouri, including boarding schools.
Right now, in Missouri, religious boarding schools don’t have to be licensed. Democratic Representative Sarah Unsicker wants that to change. It’s in response to what’s happening at one southwest Missouri school. Earlier this month, Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a motion to close Agape Boarding School due to a safety concern for children.
“The allegations are that they are still abusing children, there are Children’s Division workers in the facility 24 hours a day right now,” Unsicker said. “I’m sorry that we as a state have allowed this to happen for so many years.”
A hearing in the Agape case is set for October. As for Unsicker’s bill, it likely won’t be in Governor Mike Parson’s special session, but she said she plans to file it again in January for the regular session.