Pawleys Island Christian Academy in South Carolina is closing after becoming embroiled in a controversy involving a registered sex offender who worked at the school and had access to children.
PICA photo via Google Maps / Insert of Warren Perry
Pawleys Island Community Church (PICC) made the announcement Aug. 11 about the school it has operated for 25 years.
“The school closing is heartbreaking. The initial situation obviously was anger. I think every parent and every person that had a kid there was angry,” Danielle Newton, a parent of two former students, told WCBD News 2. “Now it’s just kind of hurt because now we got to pick up the pieces and move on. The school, I feel like, should not have been closed; a lot of teachers were affected.”
“We know trust remains to be restored,” PICC said in a news release. “The current PICC leadership is reviewing all ministry policies and procedures to ensure the safety and security of all children in our care. This is our most important priority. Additionally, we are prayerfully considering alternative opportunities to utilize our building to serve the community in the future.”
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In late July, Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said an investigation had been opened and charges filed against leaders of PICC and the school because of registered sex offender Warren Perry’s role at both institutions and his access to children.
The church acknowledged it knew Perry was a registered sex offender and said it had policies in place to ensure he was never alone with children.
Former Pastor Don Williams; his wife, Ginny; school director Niki Howard; the church’s director of operations and missions, Michael Anthony Fields; and Perry have all been charged.
Several lawsuits surrounding the allegations have also been filed against PICC and its leaders, the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, and the Southern Baptist Convention.
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