Heartland Christian Academy
A Christian school for at-risk students, which is facing several accusations of child abuse
1996 - present
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"It is a terrible place for people that don't want to change. It’s right close to Hell because we want to show them what Hell is gonna be like when they get there. ” - Charles Sharpe (founder)
Heartland Christian Academy is a small-town Christian boarding school for at-risk teens with criminal pasts, drug addictions, and other backgrounds. Administrators intend to provide a solid moral upbringing for these students in a Christian environment that focuses on rural living. However, critics have challenged discipline practices, claiming that they are abusive. However, these allegations have not been held up in court, and the school is still operating.
Religion: Christian
Denomination: Evangelicalism
Founder: Charles Sharpe
Founded: 1996
Location: Bethel, Missouri
Size: 200 students
Students are taken off all medication when they arrive (source)
Five adults were charged with child abuse in 2001 for forcing children to stand in manure as punishment. Courts ruled that it was chores rather than abuse and did not convict anyone of wrongdoing (source)
Students are spanked and have had to receive medical treatment as a result of physical punishments (source)
Students are forbidden from speaking for months as punishment (source)
Isolation, skipping meals, and verbal abuse are used as punishments (source)
Eleven students were removed from the school by authorities in 2001, but at least eight were sent back by their parents (source)
Cell phones are forbidden, and calls are monitored (source)
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