A private Christian school in California is being pushed to close down due to bogus safety concerns, according to the school.
Bogus claims arise three days prior to the school opening
The Ventura County Christian School (VCCS), located just northwest of Los Angeles, is being asked to leave the school’s grounds by the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD).
It claims one of the facilities is unsafe for kids. On August 19, the district warned the school that the building was hazardous and would not continue the school’s lease for the site.
According to district spokesperson Marieanne Quiroz, “We recognize the unfortunate timing of this. We constantly try to do our utmost to make concessions for the school.”
The school retaliated, claiming the district’s assertion regarding safety was false.
School principal believes there are ulterior motives
The school made the decision to disobey the district on August 29 and welcomed pupils back to start the school year, nevertheless. In response, the district issued a three-day notice to leave the property.
PRAYER REQUEST FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN CALIFORNIA 💙💛💙🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/jFIYCpqC17
— PrayerHarbor (@PrayerHarbor) November 10, 2019
While negotiating the new lease, VCCS became aware that the district had incorporated a “Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity” clause.
This raised concerns among the school that it might not be able to hire solely Christian teachers or maintain a Christian curriculum.
According to their lawyer, the school asked the district to remove that clause but nevertheless paid two months’ worth of rent because they believed they were still bound by the agreement.
The district then notified VCCS three days before the start of classes they would not be renewing the lease since the June safety study showed the school building to be hazardous.
The safety study did not, however, actually suggest the school be shut down. It did advise conducting a more thorough assessment and adding more bracing and support.
In return, the school engaged a different, independent company to carry out a second evaluation of the building.
It's no secret California is Anti-Christian. The Left is Christophobic.
CA County Forcing Christian School from Their Home – Is This Fight Really About Building Safety? | CBN News https://t.co/fLHlOUeRlN via @CBNNews— Pastor Greg (@ChaplainGregE) September 1, 2022
The school’s attorney, Ron Bamieh, referred to the district’s safety allegations as “baseless,” “totally dishonest,” and suggested the district might be acting for other reasons.
For the first 18 years that the school rented the buildings, the rent increased from $2,000 to $4,000 per month. From 2019 to 2021, the price increased to $12,000 per month under the new lease. The district initially proposed charging the school $27,000 per month.
The private Christian school is in the right, according to Bamieh, regarding the anti-discrimination clause. The school is currently soliciting funds to cover the costs of the legal defense of its right to remain open.
A mom of two students at VCCS, Jenn Plew, has been actively defending the institution and said she believes the district is “looking for excuses to get the school out.”
She declared, “I firmly believe that God has a purpose for this school.”
This article appeared in The Patriot Brief and has been published here with permission.
