Adventist Conference in West Virginia Responds to Lawsuit Over Closed Miracle Meadows School

The Mountain View Conference, a local conference of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination in West Virginia, issued a statement on February 9, 2017, addressing Miracle Meadows School. The school was closed by authorities in 2014, criminal charges were filed against its staff, and it is now the target of a lawsuit. Adventist Today had reported on the lawsuit and earlier problems at the school the previous day.

In the statement, the conference said, “We are troubled by the allegations made against Miracle Meadows School as we would be any time we hear of allegations where young people may have been harmed or abused.” It also said the school “is independent of the Seventh-day Adventist Church” and that the church “did not operate, own, finance, or control Miracle Meadows School.” The conference added that it was not aware of any abuse at the school or by its personnel before the 2014 police investigation, which was reported in the media and ultimately led to the school’s closure. The statement noted that the conference has been named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

The Adventist denomination operates what it describes as the largest Protestant educational system in the world, with more than 7,800 educational institutions in more than 100 countries, from preschool through university. Because of this, it is often assumed that all Adventist schools are part of that system and under the supervision and control of the denomination’s Education Department. Miracle Meadows was one of many independent schools operated by Adventists who were not denominational employees. Although some such schools are incorporated as nonprofit organizations, they function essentially as private businesses.

The Mountain View Conference said it currently operates six accredited schools serving Pre-K through 12th grade. “Our schools are owned by the church, are operated by the church, are financed by the church, and fall under the control of our Mountain View Conference Board of Education,” the statement said. It added that its schools “follow policies and procedures designed to protect children (Psalm 82:3)” and that “abuse of any kind is not tolerated.”

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