The choir of former students at a private Christian school in Saskatoon with stories of abuse and degradation is growing.
They include children and grandchildren of senior officials at the Christian Center Academy and the adjacent Saskatoon Christian Center church.
The school is now known as Legacy Christian Academy. The church has also undergone a name change, to Mile Two Church.
“This place has left a long trail of abused and damaged people. I’m glad I got out of this worship community,” said Garrison Davis, 19, the grandson of the church’s original pastor.
Saskatoon police are encouraging other alleged victims and their supporters to contact them.
“As police officers, we understand that the decision to file a formal report is a personal one, especially when it involves interpersonal violence,” said the statement emailed to CBC News on Thursday. “We … encourage those with information believed to be relevant to the investigation to come forward and support those who wish to make a formal report to do so.”
Former Christian Center Academy student Garrison Davis says he and others routinely “padded” years after the Supreme Court banned the practice in schools. (Submitted by Garrison Davis)
Earlier this week, a CBC News investigation revealed that 18 former students have filed complaints of criminal abuse with Saskatoon police. Since this story was published, CBC News has spoken to nearly a dozen others. Most say they will go to the police.
The new allegations cover a wider time period than the initial complaints.
Davis said he was rowed repeatedly until the spring of 2012, and it was common to hear of similar assaults on other students around this time.
“It’s not like being hit with someone’s hand. It’s a hard, wooden paddle that’s specially made. It would leave pretty bad bruises and hurt for days afterwards,” he said.
The school says it has apologized
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled all corporal punishment by school officials illegal since January 2004. Legal experts said any paddling or other force applied after that point would clearly constitute criminal assault and schools private are subject to the same laws.
Kieran Friesen, second from right, poses with his partner and two children. Friesen, the son of the former principal of Christian Center Academy, said gay and transgender students like him were left traumatized and filled with guilt. He said it has taken years for him to be proud of his identity. (Submitted by Kieran Friesen)
School officials have repeatedly declined interview requests but have issued two written statements.
In the first, they said that rowing has not happened in “more than two decades”. In the second, issued this week, they say that in recent years “they have offered numerous public and private apologies” to students.
But students say rowing and other abuses were widespread for years after the Supreme Court ruling, and no students are aware of an apology of any kind.
CBC asked officials for letters, emails, videos or other evidence of past apologies, but no one from the church or school responded.
“A trauma I’m still dealing with”
The students say the lies have to stop and they want justice.
“It’s a trauma I’m still dealing with, [but] I want to stand up and talk about it,” said Kieran Friesen, whose estranged father was the school principal when he attended.
Friesen, who is transgender, said he was ashamed and confused about his identity throughout his time at the school. After graduating, she self-harmed and contemplated suicide due to overwhelming guilt.
“I always knew something was different. I couldn’t talk about it because we were always told something different was wrong. I was constantly afraid. I couldn’t be myself,” said Friesen, who now lives in Edmonton with his partner and two children.
Freisen and others say they were inspired to finally speak out when they saw the interviews with their peers. They said it showed them they weren’t alone.
Christian Center Academy alumna Jillian Kudryk and others are calling for the provincial government to close the school, now known as Legacy Christian Academy. (Submitted by Jillian Kudryk)
“I saw the story this week and I decided I had to file a police report and I had to say something,” said Jillian Kudryk, who said she was paddled at least 10 times before leaving the school in 2005 at 15 years due to deterioration of mental health.
His brother, Kristian Kudryk, said he rowed as a 7th grader in 2005 because of difficulties caused by an undiagnosed learning disability. Kudryk said he and others were forced to kneel on the school steps, stretching their arms forward as the teacher piled books into their hands. When their muscles failed and the books fell, they were forced to pick them up, return them to the teacher, and do it twice more.
“These people left a big scar on my life. It was a little cult,” he said.
Davis, Friesen, the Kudryks and others said physical abuse was wrong, but psychological and spiritual manipulation was worse.
When Kayla Pickles attended in the late 1990s, she said the principal often called her into his office after breaking one of the school’s many rules, such as questioning a teacher. She said he would yell and scream at her for two or three hours at a time.
“He said he was full of the devil and that he was giving in to the dark side,” Pickles said.
“It should have been closed a long time ago”
In this week’s statement, school and church officials say they will support any former student who requests it.
“We have and will cooperate fully with any official or authority investigating your actions,” the statement said.
“We continue to encourage and support any former student who believes they have been abused or assaulted to make a report to the police so that these matters can be properly and legally investigated and dealt with.”
On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan NDP called on the provincial government to suspend more than $700,000 in public funds given annually to the school, until these serious allegations can be investigated.
Education Minister Dustin Duncan’s office said no action will be considered until the police investigation is complete.
Students and opposition members are calling on Education Minister Dustin Duncan to freeze government funding or close Legacy Christian Academy in light of abuse allegations. A ministry official said no action will be taken until the police conclude their investigation. (Kirk Fraser/CBC)
The file has been passed to Crown prosecutors to consider possible charges. But an email sent to students says the process could take another year.
Most of the students interviewed say that Duncan needs to step in to protect other children and that the entire institution should be closed permanently.
“It hurts,” said former student Brooke Parr, 25. “I think it should have been closed a long time ago.”