Latest news with #CalvaryChristianAcademy
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Clay County teacher accused of trying to meet child for sex; school and church cut ties immediately
A Clay County teacher is in jail Thursday night, accused of trying to meet a child for sex. Deputies arrested 35-year-old Joshua Dice on Wednesday. He was immediately removed from his positions at both Calvary Baptist Church and Calvary Christian Academy in Middleburg. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< According to investigators, Dice is facing felony charges for using a computer to solicit a child and traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual conduct. Action News Jax spoke with a concerned parent and former Jacksonville Sheriff's Office detective, Mike Padgett, who said the arrest was alarming. 'You send your kids to school and think this will be a safe place for them. Unfortunately, that's not the case anymore,' said Padgett. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Dice taught at Calvary Christian Academy. Within hours of his arrest, church and school officials announced they had cut all ties with him. In a statement, Pastor Ken Pledger said: We were informed that Mr. Josh Dice was arrested on June 11, 2025, on serious charges. These charges are unrelated to the activities of Calvary Baptist Church or Calvary Christian Academy. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement regarding this matter. Mr. Josh Dice's role at Calvary Baptist Church and his position at Calvary Christian Academy were terminated immediately following his arrest. He no longer has any affiliation with these ministries. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our members and students. Calvary Baptist Church and Calvary Christian Academy maintain a strict policy of zero tolerance for abuse. This is the second teacher from the school arrested in the last three years. In 2022, Caitlin Crum was charged with having a sexual relationship with a 9th-grade student and recording it on the student's phone. Crum is now on sex offender probation. Community members are now demanding accountability from school leadership, asking how another educator could be charged with such a serious crime. This is a developing story. Stay with Action News Jax for updates. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Messiah Christian Academy eyes former Mineral County school
FORT ASHBY, — For 35 years, Dan Thompson worked in various roles, including administrator at Calvary Christian Academy. Now, he said, it's time to put the past behind and look to the future. Thompson doesn't want to criticize his former employer, but said he left the school due to concerns about church leadership related to CCA. 'It was best that I step aside,' he said. Today, Thompson is an organizer of the new pre-K through 12th-grade Messiah Christian Academy. He will apply to be the new school's administrator, a position that must be approved by MCA's board of directors. MCA is incorporated in West Virginia. The academy registered — with the state's education department — notice of intent to operate as a nonpublic school and received a federal tax employer identification number. Roughly 80% of the new school's staff positions are filled, and more jobs are expected to be added as MCA grows. Thompson hopes MCA will open by early September. 'I'm an optimistic person,' he said. 'I also have to be a realist.' Purchase plan'We struggled to find a place,' Thompson said of locating a facility that can house between 100 to 200 students. The former Frankfort Intermediate School building in Fort Ashby offers a prime opportunity for the new academy's location, he said. The facility was removed from operation in 2024 after Frankfort Elementary was built to merge Fort Ashby Primary, Wiley Ford Primary and Frankfort Intermediate. The former Frankfort Intermediate School The former Frankfort Intermediate School 'We don't own the building yet,' Thompson said. 'We're hoping to purchase the building.' The former school, which can facilitate roughly 400 students and includes amenities such as a cafeteria, gym and outdoor recreation spaces, is set for auction next month, he said. 'For us as a school, it would be walk-in ready for the most part,' Thompson said. 'It would give us plenty of room for growth.' 'The beginning'MCA 'will follow all the state regulations for maintaining a school,' he said. Annual per-student tuition will be $5,500 and the new school will accept HOPE scholarship funds that provide roughly $5,000-plus per year for students who live in West Virginia, Thompson said. An income-based student-aid program is in the works for families that live in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Initially, parents will be responsible to take their children to and from the new school; however, transportation options will be explored in the future. The new school will focus on Christian education and be 'open to anybody,' Thompson said. 'In the beginning, God created,' he said. 'That's our foundation.' Various detailsPolicies, bylaws and a constitution are in the planning stage. Students likely will not be allowed to have cellphones in the classroom, Thompson said. 'My experience is, without phones ... education is a whole lot better,' he said. MCA MCA will include a homeschool umbrella and work with families to cover educational needs and allow for participation in school activities and team sports. The new school's colors will be navy and gold, with a warrior as its mascot. A tax-exempt fund has been established for donations that will help the school buy the Fort Ashby building and invest 'in the lives of students effecting generations,' Thompson said. 'We certainly could use some assistance financially,' he said, adding that the new school will also create a positive economic impact on the Fort Ashby community as families visit local restaurants and other businesses. New startOldtown, Maryland, resident Kaitlyn Crabtree's children, one elementary- and the other middle-school age, were students at CCA and are now registered for the upcoming MCA. 'My husband and I are really passionate about Christian education for our kids,' she said, adding that their oldest daughter graduated from CCA and recently completed her college education. 'She was very well prepared,' Crabtree said. Although 'Calvary has been great for our kids,' it's time to move on, she said. Crabtree said she's pleased to have a new option for her children's education. 'It feels good,' she said. 'I'm thankful for this other opportunity.' Keyser resident Heather Haynes echoed that sentiment. 'I think it's a great thing,' she said of school options. Her eighth-grade son was a student at CCA. 'I don't have anything bad to say,' Haynes said of CCA. However, 'it's been a rocky year,' she said. Now, her son and his kindergarten- age sibling plan to attend the new Messiah school. 'I couldn't imagine putting his younger brother anywhere else,' she said of enrolling both sons at MCA. 'They're very close.' Thompson said his wife, Tammy, teaches third grade at Calvary but will soon stop. 'She's finishing out the year for her students,' he said. Over the years, the couple taught many area students, as well as some of their parents, Dan Thompson said. 'We love what we do,' he said. 'We just need to do it again in a different place.' To register or learn more, visit
