NVCA Statement of Faith and Our Family’s Experience

North Valley Christian Academy publicly affirms a Statement of Faith that emphasizes Scripture, Christian unity, compassion, dignity, forgiveness, and Christ-centered leadership. This Statement of Faith is reaffirmed annually by the Board of Directors, faculty, and staff, serving as the foundation for how the school operates, disciplines, and cares for students, including crucial aspects of student safeguarding.

We believed these statements were essential. They were a central reason we entrusted our daughter to North Valley Christian Academy.

What follows is not a challenge to NVCA’s theology, nor a claim about the personal faith of any individual. Rather, it is a comparison between what is professed in the Statement of Faith and what we experienced in practice, particularly regarding how a minor student was treated when concerns arose.

1. Authority of Scripture vs. Application of Wisdom and Care

Statement of Faith

North Valley Christian Academy affirms the Bible as the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God and the final source for truth, morality, and proper conduct.

Our Experience

Decisions affecting our daughter were made rapidly and emotionally, without meaningful inquiry into her well-being, without review of primary evidence offered, and without a restorative process. We struggled to see how biblical principles such as wisdom, gentleness, and being 'open to reason' were applied when a child was removed without being accused of wrongdoing.

2. Spiritual Unity vs. Isolation and Exclusion

Statement of Faith

NVCA affirms the spiritual unity of believers in Christ.

Our Experience

Our daughter was isolated physically during a classroom interaction in which she repeatedly asked to leave and requested parental presence, and later isolated relationally through sudden removal from her school community. No effort was made to preserve unity, restore relationship, or provide a dignified transition among peers she loved.

3. Compassion, Respect, and Dignity vs. Loss of Privacy and Reputation

Statement of Faith

North Valley Christian Academy states that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity, and that harmful or harassing behavior is to be repudiated.

Our Experience

Information about our daughter’s enrollment status was shared by a staff member who is also a parent and subsequently spread among students before our daughter had the opportunity to tell her closest friends herself. They learned of her removal through peers rather than through a supported, private process.

In addition, our daughter was told by classmates that her cheer coach had stated she was 'kicked off' the team. This was not accurate; she voluntarily resigned following a distressing interaction and prayer. That mischaracterization spread within the student body, resulting in reputational harm without correction or protection.

At no point was our daughter accused of misconduct, yet she experienced loss of community, loss of voice, and loss of dignity.

4. Leadership as Biblical Role Models vs. Use of Authority Over a Minor

Statement of Faith

North Valley Christian Academy emphasizes that those employed by the school must model conduct consistent with its Statement of Faith.

Our Experience

We observed authority exercised over a 15-year-old without proportional care: refusal to allow her to leave a distressing situation, refusal to allow parental presence when requested, surveillance at a non-school event, and a final decision focused on adult conflict rather than the student herself. Despite no allegation of wrongdoing, the full consequence fell on the child.

5. Forgiveness and Restoration vs. Finality Without Reconciliation

Statement of Faith

NVCA affirms forgiveness through Christ and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

Our Experience

We offered apologies where appropriate, proposed restorative paths forward, and requested dialogue. None were meaningfully considered. The outcome was final, immediate, and irreversible — without probation, correction, or opportunity for reconciliation for a student who had done nothing wrong.

6. Board Authority vs. Accountability in Practice

Statement of Faith

North Valley Christian Academy states that its Board of Directors is the final interpretive authority for doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline.

Our Experience

When concerns were raised involving safeguarding, proportionality, and our daughter’s well-being, the Board declined to review the matter at all, citing delegation to administration. This left us questioning how accountability functions when decisions affecting a minor are insulated from any independent review.

Why This Comparison Matters

We share this comparison not to debate theology, but to ask a necessary question:

When a Christian school like North Valley Christian Academy professes these beliefs, how are they meant to be lived out when a child is vulnerable, distressed, and has done nothing wrong?

Statements of faith are not merely aspirational. They are promises — especially to families who entrust their children to a Christ-centered institution. When practice diverges from profession, it is fair, and necessary, to ask why.