Sask. government must disclose full reports on private Christian schools: opposition, former student

The Saskatchewan government needs to tell the public everything it knows about a recent review conducted into three private Christian schools, said the opposition NDP and a former student.

"Their not providing that information and not being transparent after all that's gone on really speaks to a hidden agenda or trying to cover things up," said Caitlin Erickson, who was a student at the school previously known as the Christian Centre Academy.

Erickson and dozens of others students have filed criminal complaints and have joined a proposed $25 million lawsuit against officials of the former Christian Centre Academy, now known as Legacy Christian Academy, located in the north end of Saskatoon.

The opposition had requested a report done on the schools through the freedom of information process after the government declined to provide it. When the report was handed over, large sections of the reports were redacted, including all of the recommended changes.

Erickson, as well as NDP Education critic Matt Love said this is unacceptable.

"I think that these reports are of significant public interest. This is taxpayer money, taxpayer money from the people of Saskatchewan," Love said.

Last year, the Minister of Education appointed special administrators to oversee three independent schools in Saskatoon that had staff connected to the former Christian Centre Academy.

Love highlighted some unredacted details in the reports. For example, one other Saskatoon school hired family members to work as staff. That school, which has since been shuttered, was also denying access to certain students.

"We see that officials reviewed the school registration process which indicated the students with complex learning challenges or special needs would not be admitted to these schools based on their complex needs," he said.

Erickson and Love said the report shows Legacy staff didn't appear forthcoming about their financial records. Love said there are still "millions of dollars in taxpayer funds that we simply don't have a full picture on where those funds went and how they were used."

Education Minister Dustin Duncan said the Ministry of Education and the province's legal department worked together to decide what would be redacted.

Duncan says the government has acted on recommendations, with new regulations announced in March. He said they're meant to increase scrutiny, ensure teacher are licensed, and change financial reporting models. For example, school budgets and governance are now supposed to be separated from the partner religious institution.

-with files from Adam Hunter/CBC