'Difficult to maintain': Private Sask. school embroiled in abuse allegations may soon close
A private Christian school at the centre of a civil lawsuit and several criminal cases might soon be taken over by an affiliated group, according to a letter obtained by CTV News.
The letter, addressed to senior Ministry of Education official Kevin Gabel, says the Legacy Christian Academy (LCA) intends to close its doors as of June 30.
“Because of the ongoing allegations against Christian Centre Academy, our earlier rendition, and even against LCA as it is today, it has become more difficult to maintain the student enrolment levels that we believe are necessary for operating with excellence,” writes Marguerite Wiggins, who describes herself as a former vice-principal and current “advisory consultant” to the school.
Roughly two dozen officials from Legacy Christian Academy and its affiliated Mile Two Church are named in a $25 million class action lawsuit launched by former students who allege they were subject to physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the school.
In January, the school’s former athletic director Aaron Benneweis was sentenced to two years less a day for sexually assaulting a student when she was between 13 and 16-years-old.
Benneweis is one of four former staff members charged criminally after the former students filed their civil suit.
The swirling legal issues have made it difficult to recruit new students to the school and it’s unable to increase tuition any further without additional provincial funding, Wiggins says.
“We have found it more and more difficult to work as successfully as we would like.”
So, LCA is reportedly passing the torch to another Saskatoon-based private school.
“We are, of course, aware of Westdale Christian School’s plans to reopen this fall and to do so by renting our current space,” Wiggins writes.
“The hope is our families will transfer to Westdale without having to continue under the cloud of allegations that is the current situation.”
Wiggins says she’s hopeful Westdale’s enrolment will grow and allow them to become certified, “which will then allow them to increase program options and hire more experienced and certified staff.”
In a statement emailed to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said it had not yet received notification about the closure of Legacy Christian Academy.
"The ministry is aware that Westdale Christian School is interested in relocating to the facility currently occupied by Legacy Christian Academy," the statement said.
"Should this occur, all conditions currently in place for Legacy Christian Academy would remain in place at Westdale Christian School."
The relocation of Westdale wouldn’t quite represent a transformation for the school — Westdale is an offshoot of City Centre Church, which was opened by former Mile Two Church elder James Randall.
According to an internal Mile Two Church document shared with CTV News last year, Randall was called back to help manage the church in June after its pastor Brien Johnson stepped down.
Johnson’s father Keith was the pastor and head of the school when much of the abuse allegedly took place.
Both Keith Johnson and Randall are named defendants in the civil lawsuit. Johnson has not been located since the lawsuit launched, but he is believed to be in Texas.
In a statement to media on Thursday afternoon, the provincial NDP's education critic Matt Love described the closure of Legacy as more of a "rebrand."
Love argued that Saskatchewan schools receiving public funding should follow the provincial human rights code.
"This independent school has a history of abuse and the Sask. Party still increased their funding more than our public, Catholic, and French schools got," he said in the statement.
CTV News has contacted LCA and City Centre Church for comment but has not yet received a response.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Conservatives, NDP should be 'celebrating' EV deals: industry minister
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says federal opposition parties should be 'celebrating' the recently announced electric vehicle deals, despite their criticisms the Liberals refuse to make public the terms and conditions laid out in the contracts.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Jesus is their saviour, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president's backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.