School administrator under fire

A Spokane Valley private school is under fire from several parents crusading to have the school’s leader fired.

According to documents provided to The Spokesman-Review by the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Wes Evans, the head administrator at Valley Christian School, is the subject of a state investigation for failure to report physical abuse of a student by a teacher.

The state can’t comment on open investigations, said Charles Schreck, the director of the Office of Professional Practices.

Some former and current parents of students at the school, which houses more than 300 students in grades K-12, claim that Evans covered up the abuses by a boys’ basketball coach who parted ways with the school last May amid an investigation involving his alleged mistreatment of students.

The families are now hoping that the church that holds the lease on the school property – Valley Fourth Memorial – will give the school board an ultimatum: Fire Evans, and possibly two school board members, or the church will terminate the lease, forcing the closure of the 30-year institution.

“At this point, we’re hoping we can come to some resolution,” said Pastor John Underhill.

Some of the parents involved in the effort to have Evans ousted say that the administrator dismissed parents’ repeated allegations that former coach Steve Altmeyer’s behavior toward students was abusive.

Evans denied that charge.

“It’s been my practice to investigate and report issues that are within the state guidelines and expectations,” Evans said. “Based on our investigation as a school and the issues involved, we followed our policy and conducted ourselves appropriately.”

The church has hired an attorney to conduct a private investigation into the parents’ claims against the school’s administration, said church elder Phil Monroe.

“We became aware that parents had concerns with the school, and we wanted to make sure we got both sides of the story,” Monroe said.

The attorney has spent the past several weeks interviewing the families involved, and will likely make a recommendation to church elders next week, Monroe said.

“We really don’t know what they will do, but we know what we hope they will do,” said Pam Indahl, the parent of two former VCS students who is involved in the effort to have the administrator removed.

Indahl said parents want Evans removed and the school board restructured. Currently, the parents have no say in how the self-perpetuating school board is selected.

If the school board refuses, the parents are hoping that the church will cancel the school’s lease.

“We’re hoping they will do that; it will make things a lot easier,” Indahl said. “But if the church is not successful … we aren’t going to stop until Wes and the board is gone. We’re not quitting. We’ll just keep right on.”

Though they are housed on the same piece of property, the school and the church have operated separately for the last four years.

Since the split, enrollment at the school has dwindled from about 600 students four or five years ago to less than 340, Indahl said. In October, the school reported an enrollment of 393 students, down from 430 the previous year. Since that time, Indahl said she knows of several families who have withdrawn their children from the school, dipping the number down below 340.

Indahl said she knows of as many as 250 families that have left the school since 2000, largely because of Evans.

The letters of some former students and parents detailing their grievances against Evans and Altmeyer have been posted on a Web site – www.vcstruth.com – created by parents to help the effort to have Evans fired.

Altmeyer’s contract with the school was not renewed last year after accusations that he used mind games and sporadic physical abuse to push basketball players. He was also accused of forcing a junior high student to sit through class without a shirt on because the student forgot to bring a Bible.

“All the allegations that have been made have not been proven,” Altmeyer said Wednesday.

He called them “gossip and rumor.”

Although the allegations stem from conduct at a private school, both Evans and Altmeyer are certified educators, and subject to the state’s code of professional conduct. Private schools are required to report violations to the state superintendent’s office.

Both Evans and Altmeyer are under investigation by the state. The complaint against Altmeyer alleges verbal, physical, and spiritual abuse, state officials said.

If the allegations are founded, punishment could include reprimand, suspension, or revocation of the teaching certificate.

“It all depends on how serious the complaint is,” Charlie Schreck said.

The VCS parents involved in the mediation with the church feel the complaints are serious enough for action.

“The way the school is run now is not healthy,” said Rob Tupper, the parent of a two former students at the school.

Tupper’s son, Clayton, was a student in Altmeyer’s class at the school five years ago.

Tupper claims that his son was chastised by Evans for attempting to help an obese student who was repeatedly picked on and belittled by Altmeyer in front of the class.

“Mr. Altmeyer would reprimand (the student) for being overweight, saying that he was not in God’s favor, and his failure to overcome his obesity was in fact, a sin towards God,” Clayton Tupper wrote in a letter to Evans dated Dec. 13, 2004.

He said Altmeyer often referred to the obese student as “fatty,” “tubby,” and “other snide nicknames.”

When Clayton Tupper approached Evans about the mistreatment of his friend, Tupper was told by Evans that it was not his (Tupper’s) place to intervene, and that his challenge of Atlmeyer’s authority was “a sin in itself.”

Evans said Wednesday that he did not remember the incident.

“Being a Christian school there is a standard that is promoted to parents, that we’re going to help your kids become godly because we’re godly people,” Rob Tupper said. “It’s been just the opposite for us.”