ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – On Wednesday, the State Attorney’s Office announced that no formal charges would be filed after complaints of children being “whipped” at an Orange County school in November.
In a release, SAO officials said the complaints stemmed from Alpha Learning Academy in Orlando, owned by the Saint Mark AME Church.
On Nov. 2, parents reported to police that an administrative assistant with the church asked the senior leader to intervene in a fourth-grade class due to “disruptive and disrespectful behavior,” the release reads.
According to the SAO, the parents complained that the leader “administered corporal punishment” to 16 of the students, using a belt to lash their hips, legs, and backsides.
The parents said they hadn’t consented to that type of punishment, nor were they informed about it before the lashings happened, the SAO stated.
However, SAO officials explained that previous versions of the school’s parent handbook contained a provision for corporal punishment as an alternative to a home suspension, though the 2023-2024 handbook did not.
“Officers stated in their report that it is unclear which version of the handbook parents received,” the release says.
The senior leader admitted that he delivered the spankings, explaining that he’d warned the students that it could happen if they continued misbehaving, SAO officials said.
While he was unaware of the change to the parent handbook, he told police that the school’s principals and counselors had used corporal punishment in prior years, according to investigators.
Florida state law allows teachers and school personnel to maintain discipline if it fits what parents expect and is not intended to inflict injuries.
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As a result, the SAO reported there was no way to prove that the senior leader meant to strike the students against their parents’ will.
“It is not reasonable to expect three lashes over clothing would cause an injury, and this incident does not meet the statutory requirements for child abuse under Florida law,” the release states. “After reviewing the case, our office does not believe it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and our ethical standards prohibit us from filing charges.”
Alpha Learning Academy provided this statement following the announcement:
After working closely with the law enforcement investigation following the incident at The Alpha Learning Academy, we have now learned that no criminal charges are being filed.
We are currently working with our district leadership to determine next steps regarding the pastor’s tenure, as well as how the school will operate moving forward. The pastor’s voluntary sabbatical will continue while we work through this internal process.
Our commitment is to ensure the school continues to be a place where every scholar is “cared for, loved and supported in their desire to be the best they can be” and that the church remains a place of compassion, hope and reconciliation.
As our internal investigation is now underway, we will refrain from any further comment.
Alpha Learning Academy/Saint Mark AME Church Statement
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