Former students ask Duncan to close school
Education minister meets with group calling for action on allegations against Christian academy
Pleading for more action after what she and others allege has been decades of abuse, a former student at a Christian school in Saskatoon has directly asked Saskatchewan's education minister to close the school.
Caitlin Erickson was among three former students of Legacy Christian Academy — once known as Christian Centre Academy — who met with Education Minister Dustin Duncan and ministry officials on Wednesday.
The meeting included the students' lawyer, Grant Scharfstein. Erickson is lead plaintiff in a $25-million class action lawsuit against Legacy Christian Academy and Mile Two Church.
Erickson said the group provided Duncan and deputy minister Donna Johnson specific examples and evidence of their allegations, and she directly asked Duncan to close the school. He did not commit one way or the other, she said.
“We appreciate them meeting with us, but there's so much that has gone on at that institution. We're talking about, right now, four decades of abuse victims that have come forward,” Erickson said in an interview.
“I don't think anybody wants their legacy as the sitting education minister (to be) a fifth decade of abuse victims.”
The ministry confirmed the meeting took place, saying in an email that it was a followup to a meeting between former students and an appointed administrator at Legacy Christian Academy.
“While the Ministry of Education has not been named in the lawsuit, it will continue to monitor this situation as it moves through the legal process,” the province said in a statement.
It noted it has implemented administrators at three schools named in the lawsuit, and is “enhancing the regulations and oversight of the schools, and fully cooperating with the Advocate for Children and Youth in its investigation into the oversight of Independent Schools in Saskatchewan.”
Erickson said the conversation on Wednesday was one-sided, with former students and their lawyer doing most of the talking.
“They did a lot of listening, which we appreciate, but having that much information about this situation, we were hoping for a little more from them as far as what they're going to do to prevent this happening in the future,” she said.
Saskatoon police have confirmed that a criminal investigation into the allegations is taking place.
Legacy Christian Academy and its parent organization, Mile Two Church, did not respond to a request for comment.
The class-action lawsuit alleges Legacy Christian Academy, formerly known as Christian Centre Academy, and Mile Two Church perpetrated and allowed the spanking of students, fondling of minors by church staff and other physical, psychological and sexual abuse.
As of Friday, no statements of defence have been filed.