Faith Academy volunteer accused of inappropriately touching child

Faith Academy, a school affiliated with Faith Family Church in Victoria, Texas, is investigating an allegation of inappropriate conduct involving a volunteer. According to the school, a child reported the incident, and the volunteer admitted to inappropriately touching the student. The Victoria Police Department and Child Protective Services are also involved in the investigation.

The accused volunteer was part of the cleaning crew and had only been volunteering at the school for a few months. Pastor Jim Graff stated that the volunteer was not supposed to be wandering around alone and that the Operations Department was in violation of protocol by allowing volunteers on the cleaning crew. The volunteer underwent a background check, but there was an execution error by the department.

Faith Family Church leaders are in contact with the parents of the child who made the report and are speaking with parents about the situation. Counselors are available to support those affected. Pastor Graff emphasized that the church has never dealt with an incident involving an adult accused of harming a child during his 35 years of service.

The incident occurred in a restroom, and the volunteer was no longer allowed on the property. Victoria Police were notified immediately upon learning of the allegation. Faith Family has approximately 4000 members, and one of the accused volunteer’s family members is a church member. The school is reviewing its protocols with employees to prevent similar incidents.

Children’s Protective Services was also notified of an incident involving an elementary student at Faith Academy on February 27. The school is working with authorities to determine if any other children may have been affected. The investigation is ongoing, and further details are pending.

Source: Read the original report