AA headmaster's resignation not tied to abuse investigation.

Article: AA headmaster's resignation not tied to abuse investigation.

I am quoted in this article which mentions that 'rumors' have been spread that the headmaster was fired because he made inquiries regarding abuse. The truth is about to come out as many survivors of New Bethany are doing interviews and are giving accounts of their abuse that have long been repressed.

Here is a letter to the editor I just sent to the Amelia Monitor:

Thanks for publishing that article about Amelia Academy. I would also like to thank Dr. George Martin for making the inquiries into the abuse allegations concerning the teacher responsible for many nightmares experienced by the victims from New Bethany, a school that was closed down due to inquiries regarding abuse. It was not our intentions for anyone to get fired over this. Even though Mr. Anderson, the new headmaster states the inquiry had nothing to do with Martin's dismissal, that's a pretty difficult pill for some of us to swallow.

My former pastor, the late Bob Gray of Trinity Baptist Church and founder of Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Florida) was charged with over five counts of child molestation with many victims spanning decades. One of them clear back to 1949! I'm sure he would have passed a background check and been declared an asset to the school he founded.

We are not spreading rumors. Here are the facts: Dr. Martin communicated with New Bethany survivors after being contacted by a concerned parent to make an inquiry into abuse. He did and we now hear he was fired. Our experience has shown that when private schools have no oversight regarding these matters, the potential to either ignore or cover up such abuse is pretty high. What do you think our conclusions might be?

Pardon us if we harbor some doubt as to the integrity of Mr. Anderson's denial. If Martin was fired for making the inquiries, that is more of a threat to the safety of the children of Amelia Courthouse than a teacher who, although passing a background check, has a string of survivors sounding the warning call of abuse.

Dwayne Walker