Grace Christian School rented space inside the Forest Grove Community Church. Forest Grove officials announced on the church’s website Monday that they are terminating Grace Christian’s lease, effective Sept. 1. The provincial government announced last week that it is taking over Grace Christian and two other schools. All three schools currently have staff accused of various abuses by more than 30 former students at Christian Center Academy, now called Legacy Christian Academy, in Saskatoon. The third school affected is Regent Academy in Prince Albert. Forest Grove Community Church officials declined an interview request, but emailed CBC News Monday afternoon. “We are sorry for the students and families who will be affected and we did not make this decision lightly, but we believe it is best for everyone involved,” the email said. The first student to come forward, Caitlin Erickson, said it must have been a difficult decision for Forest Grove to evict its tenants and potentially lose significant revenue, but that it was the right decision. “I think it’s very commendable,” Erickson said. “I hope there are others who take the lead after seeing Forest Grove do the right thing, and step forward and do the right thing as well.” Caitlin Erickson applauded a Saskatoon church’s decision to end the lease of one of three Saskathcewan private Christian schools implicated in allegations of widespread abuse. Erickson, who attended Christian Center Academy, was the first former student to come forward. (Travis Reddaway/CBC) Erickson and more than 30 other former students have filed criminal complaints, launched a class-action lawsuit and spoken out publicly in recent days. The allegations cover a wide range of abuse, including violent discipline, isolation, sexual abuse, an attempted exorcism of “gay demons” and forced political campaigning for some candidates. A former Christian Center Academy youth pastor told CBC News that the allegations are “100 percent true.” Saskatoon police say they turned the file over to Crown prosecutors in April for consideration of possible charges. No one at Grace Christian School could be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
