Premier responds to school abuse claims; alleged victims say increased oversight not enough

After nine days of silence following public allegations of abuse made against a Christian school in Saskatoon, the provincial government announced new regulations for independent schools in Saskatchewan, aiming to increase government oversight and accountability.

Alleged victims of the school and church said those changes miss the mark.

On Thursday, Education Minister Dustin Duncan said the new regulations include measures like appointing a supervisor at certain independent schools and monthly unannounced visits to check in on school conditions.

Dustin Duncan, Saskatchewan’s minister of education. (Shane Clausing/980 CJME)

“It’s definitely not enough,” said Caitlin Erickson, who’s brought forward allegations of abuse at Saskatoon’s Legacy Christian Academy, and is one of the plaintiffs on a class-action lawsuit.

“When you have that many students coming out, and the time period … former students from the ’80s, ’90s, 2000s all relaying the abuse that was going on, it’s simply not enough.”

Erickson said it was “very disturbing” to hear Duncan say he wants to hold people at the school accountable for their actions as individuals instead of closing down the entire institution by cutting its provincial funding.

“This is a school that has a well-documented history, including in the press, of being an abusive institution,” she said.

Erickson reiterated what the class-action lawsuit against Mile Two Church and various affiliated defendants is seeking — she’d like to see the school closed down.

Erickson said she started going to the school in the ’90s, and has made allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse that she said took place there. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Another person who has come forward with allegations of abuse, Jillian Kudryk, also felt there wasn’t enough being done by the government in response to the claims.

Jillian Kudryk is one of 18 former students to have filed criminal abuse complaints against the school now known as Legacy Christian Academy. (Jillian Kudryk/Submitted)

“I, personally, don’t think them stopping in for 10 unannounced visits a year is close to enough at all,” Kudryk said.

She added that even assigning a supervisor at the school is likely not enough.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot more that goes on behind closed doors. They might leave and everything’s normal, and then they come back and they’re acting like they’ve always been,” she said.

Kudryk said she’s frustrated with how long it took Duncan to respond to the allegations and offer any proposed solutions in the first place.

She said she wants further assurances that teachers at independent schools like Legacy Christian Academy are fully qualified to be in teaching roles, recalling some questionable experiences when she was still a student, like a teacher being unable to answer a question about her homework before leaving to go to another room.

“He could be doing more,” she stated. “I personally think what he’s doing isn’t enough.”

Premier responds to allegations

Speaking to reporters Friday, Premier Scott Moe said the changes his government announced this week to increase oversight for independent schools were “necessary,” and led by Duncan.

The new regulations mean greater oversight by the province over qualified independent schools, bringing the standard closer to that of the public or separate school systems.

One part of those changes, Moe said, is ensuring the Ministry of Education knows sooner when a school is under investigation. The new rules require qualified independent schools to notify the ministry within 24 hours of any allegations of criminal activity or criminal charges laid against staff members.

Moe said the province is “purely focused on ensuring we are doing everything we can as a government to ensure the safety of our children, whichever school their parents and they choose to attend here in the province.”

The premier said he expects the allegations against Legacy Christian Academy and Mile Two Church to be investigated thoroughly and, if the criminal complaints are found to have merit, that the guilty parties will be held to account.

He said many people, including the government, will be watching the legal proceedings around the abuse allegations closely. Moe also noted the allegations largely took place prior to 2012, calling them “historical,” and said a process is in place to hold people to account when “tragic” situations occur.

Moe called the allegations against Legacy Christian Academy “extremely troubling,” saying he was speaking as a parent as well as a politician.

The province has not announced any plans to freeze funding for the school, despite calls by the NDP opposition and others.

Sask. child advocate has questions

Lisa Broda, Saskatchewan’s advocate for children, said she has been monitoring the situation closely.

“I was pleased to hear that there was going to be this oversight piece,” she said in response to the government’s new regulations impacting independent schools.

Broda said she has concerns around oversight and accountability at any publicly funded institution that serves children, however.

Having been in contact with the minister and deputy minister’s offices about the issue, Broda said the responsibility of the ministry to ensure children are safe is paramount. Institutions, she said, also have a responsibility to ensure the health and welfare of children under their care.

The advocate also said she has some concerns about the competence and credentials of teachers that have been employed by Legacy Christian Academy.