Report comes after former students of Saskatoon’s Legacy Christian Academy said they were abused
A report that CBC News got shows that the Saskatchewan government didn’t do enough to track and look into complaints about abuse and other wrongdoing in the province’s independent schools.
“I’m shocked and very upset by what I’ve heard. If I were a taxpayer, I would be furious. And if I were a parent, I would worry about my kids going to these schools,” said Stefanie Hutchinson, who went to the Legacy Christian Academy in Saskatoon.
Hutchinson is one of many former Legacy students who say they were mistreated by staff. They went to the police with their complaints and started a proposed $25-million class action lawsuit.
They also asked the Saskatchewan government, which is in charge of these private schools, to do something. But a new report from the Saskatchewan Ombudsman, Sharon Pratchler, says that these complaints were not properly tracked or looked into.
Pratchler said that the Ministry of Education had admitted that it “lacked reporting and investigation guidelines for dealing with complaints about registered independent schools.”
In an interview, Pratchler said that complaints about people’s safety or dignity are always at the top of the list of things that need to be looked into.
Hutchinson said she was angry that the government kept giving money to these schools while ignoring abuse.
“It’s hard to believe that the government can give money to these places while ignoring important things like complaints about child safety,” Hutchinson said.
Education critic for the NDP, Matt Love, agreed.
Love said, “It shows that they failed these students.”
“They did these students and their families a disservice by ignoring these private schools on purpose. During question time, I asked the minister, “What do these schools that aren’t part of a public school system depend on?”The truth is that these private schools have never had to answer to the public or be overseen by the government.
Education Minister Dustin Duncan said on Thursday that he appreciates the work that Pratchler has done.
Duncan said, “The changes we made both last fall and this spring show that we all agreed we needed better systems in place.”
The education minister was talking about how the Registered Independent Schools Regulations and the Education Funding Regulations had been changed.
Because of the changes, private schools must now have an attendance policy, a policy for extracurricular activities, a policy for dealing with parent complaints and grievances, and an administrative policy handbook.
Starting with the 2024-25 school year, independent schools “must be registered as a separate non-profit organization from any parent organization,” such as a church.
The principal of an independent school will not be able to be on the school’s board of directors. This is to encourage people to speak up if they have a problem with the principal.
The schools must also make sure that teachers are licensed and that the roles listed on the school’s website for staff members match what they are licensed to do. There must also be at least one teacher for every 40 students in each school.
Duncan has said in the past that any school that doesn’t follow the new rules will be put on probation until it does, and its certificate will be taken away for “serious violations.”
In an email, a Ministry of Education official said that the ministry “welcomes the opportunity to work with the Saskatchewan Ombudsman to implement and improve processes that promote the well-being of all Saskatchewan students and ensure their right to safe schools and quality education.”
Pratchler said that a good complaints system needs to be independent and have good communication. She said that she hopes her suggestions will be taken into account.
Caitlin Erickson, a former student at Legacy, isn’t as sure of herself.
“I’m not really so sure,” she replied. “It shouldn’t take a group of abused students to show all the holes in the Ministry of Education and how poorly regulated all the independent schools are.”