We are sharing the following here as a way to compile our statements and so that it can be easily accessed by those who’ve been harmed and those who desire to advocate for them.

Because of our involvement of being alerted to past reports already made by parents to school administration, bringing this information to a board member, and then experiencing repercussions from school staff, board members, and Hillcrest parents for doing so, we have unique insight into this situation.

What we provide below is offered in hopes that followers of Christ would never allow abuses of power to be covered within any system that claims the name of Christ. We share this and plead for change because the victims and those advocating for them deserve better.

We will share more fully in the days to come, but now, we wanted to address the email that was sent to parents on 6/5/25.

Hillcrest has recently stated the following:

• The school has “acted swiftly and decisively”. The police report indicates that Hillcrest Lutheran Academy had knowledge of misconduct of this teacher since 2022 yet no action was taken until August 2024 when parents, not administration, brought the issue to the board.

• The school stated that “the safety and well-being of Hillcrest students is our paramount priority.” Again, many years had passed from the time the school was made aware of the initial allegations of inappropriate conduct to when the school board took action. Secondly, the school was made aware that retaliation was happening to the victims who spoke up, but the school responded saying “no further action will be taken.” In addition, the school willingly allowed the teacher to have ongoing access to the students during school hours while he was being criminally investigated. Further, these students should have been believed and protected immediately once the first student made a report, let alone after he was terminated and being criminally investigated. Many students indicated in the police report that their reports were largely ignored by Hillcrest. Lastly, as the police report notes, a Hillcrest teacher was hired back and remains on staff within two years after he was terminated for inappropriate conduct. The Minnesota Mandated Reporter Policy states that “If you work with children in a licensed facility, you are legally required to mandated report and cannot shift the responsibility of reporting to anyone else. If you know or have reason to believe a child is being or has been neglected or physically or sexually abused within the preceding three years you must immediately (within 24 hours) make a report to an outside agency.” Further, under ‘Sexual Abuse’ on page 18 of the Resource Guide for Mandated Reporters of Child Maltreatment Concerns, “sexual abuse is defined in MN Statutes 260E.03, subd.20 as the subjugation of a child to sexual contact by persons responsible for their care, persons with a significant relationship to child or in a position of authority. In broad definition, sexual contact includes…touching clothing, or the clothing covering the immediate area of intimate parts.” Hillcrest consulted an attorney, not the police.

• The school is “committed to fostering a Christ-centered environment.” There are numerous examples of kids being touched and spoken to inappropriately over many years. Many students had gone to administration feeling uncomfortable and sharing concerns, but in doing so, their situations were downplayed. We also, along with our kids, experienced retaliation from Hillcrest faculty, ranging from being given the middle finger, being called “special ed” via a text message, and a faculty member telling a group of students to not be friends with our daughter due to us advocating for the students. Hillcrest stated that they maintain high standards and values yet a school administrator told our daughter, when she informed him that she felt uncomfortable that the fired teacher was on campus hugging students, that she was on the wrong side of justice and should write an apology letter to the very teacher who was fired for not maintaining the standards and values the school says they uphold.

• The school is looking for ways to improve their processes and procedures. We informed the school board members that the school’s Grievance Policy (based on Matthew 18) was a gross misapplication for any potential criminal behaviors, to which they disagreed. An attempt to focus on the future policies and/or procedures alone will not remedy the pain caused by the teachers’ misconduct, the school’s failure to respond to such misconduct, or the ongoing minimization of the situation. As followers of Christ, the appropriate response would be to personally and publicly own, grieve, repent, and take full accountability and action for what has happened.

The actions of a few teachers only highlights the system that allowed this to happen for years.

To Hillcrest parents: any minimization of the situation or attempt at shifting blame onto students or their advocates only confirms the culture which the police report clearly describes.

Our prayer has been and continues to be for those directly or indirectly impacted by the teacher(s) and/or the school’s response to these behaviors. This should never have happened to these students. They should have been listened to, believed, and protected. These students have done nothing wrong. We stand with them, we believe them, and we will continue to advocate for them. We commend each student for coming forward and we pray that in doing so, some of their strength has been recovered and resilience restored. To the students, we are so very sorry that you’ve had to bear these burdens that never have beens your carry. We, too, are grieved that these situations were not appropriately addressed in ways that would’ve protected you and other students from further harm. What has happened to you and your peers does not reflect the love and care of Christ, and we do not support such systems where this type of behavior is excused, minimized, or allowed.

Chad and Amanda Davison