A school in Saskatoon which has become the focus of abuse allegations has released a statement.
After one former student came forward more than a year ago, more than a dozen others have come forward to tell their stories as well. These include allegations of abuse through corporal punishment, and trying to intimidate students to “out” fellow students the staff believed were gay. There has been a police investigation, and the file has been handed to the Crown for a decision on charges.
The provincial government is also under fire, with calls from the opposition for an independent investigation, and an immediate freeze on all provincial education funding.
Education Minister Dustin Duncan has said he wasn’t aware of the allegations until they came to light in the last few weeks.
This afternoon, on its website, The “Christian Legacy Academy” released a statement about these allegations.
“We are all heartbroken to learn the stories of some former students about their experiences from over 15 years ago. The current staff and leadership are hearing some of these stories for the first time, and we condemn any acts of abuse that previous leaders committed.
Our church and school have undergone significant leadership and staff changes in the last seven years. The people that are accused of these actions are no longer here or affiliated with us in any way. We have and will cooperate fully with any officials or authorities that are investigating their actions.
We have offered numerous public and private apologies over the last seven years as we have learned of the allegations, and we will continue to offer our apologies and assistance, to the best of our ability, in ways that we hope do not retraumatize those who have been hurt.
We continue to encourage and support any former student who believes they were abused or assaulted to file a report with the police so these matters can be investigated and dealt with properly and legally“.
Yesterday, the NDP called for the school’s public funding to be halted, and for an independent investigation into the school’s activities.
