Fellowship Christian Academy

Please consider this school very carefully. My children attended Fellowship Christian Academy for many years, the most recent being 2010. Each year their school calendar listed "Civil Rights Day" rather than acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This seemingly small change can be easily overlooked, but allow me to point out that this is the type of subtle racism and microaggressions that perpetuate among the staff that runs this school. It took me far too long to fully recognize it, but the breaking point was the year they prohibited my children from speaking Spanish at school. Let me detail.
It was the start of a brand new school year. My oldest son was beginning his Junior year while his two younger brothers were starting 2nd and 3rd grade. Within the first week of school, the staff had decided that my children were not allowed to speak Spanish to each other on school property. My children tried to explain that it was my rule that they speak Spanish to each other so that they could learn/keep their heritage language. The response of their teacher (backed by the rest of the staff) was that she didn't care what I said that they were in her classroom and what she said trumped my wishes.
I remember my two youngest sons came home crying that day. I asked them how it made them feel and my youngest son telling me through his tears, "It makes me sad because when I open my mouth to talk to my brothers, Spanish wants to come out." See, having been raised in a dual-language home, speaking Spanish to his brothers was instinctive.
I confronted their teacher, Mrs. Sutherland (whom is also the Principal/Director/Pastor’s wife) and gave her every chance to justify their decision. I asked her a series of questions. Were my boys speaking Spanish during instruction/lessons? No. Were they disrupting class by speaking Spanish? No. Did a parent complain? No. Did a classmate complain? No. Were they using Spanish in a way that seemed disrespectful to her or their classmates? No. Finally, unable to see or understand the problem, I asked, "When ARE they speaking Spanish?" Mrs. Sutherland responded, "On the playground & during their free time..."
BLATANT LINGUICISM… an insidious prejudice rooted in racism. There was nothing more left to say.
Some more background of the people that run this school:
This school was founded and is run by the Sutherland family. A large majority of this family attended Bob Jones University. This bible college in Greenville, South Carolina, has a long history of racism. Suffice it to say that BJU did not admit black students until the 1970s and even then, they still prohibited interracial dating for the following 30 years.
My goal in writing this review is to shed some light on the inner circle of Fellowship Christian Academy. My children are not the only ones who have attended this school with a story like this. All racism isn't overt, some of it is very subtle. No matter the form, it is all grounded in hate. Before you enroll your child in this school, ask yourself if these are the type of people you want to allow to influence your child(ren).