Milo Academy faces lawsuit o...

If you don't pray in school, I won't think in chruch.

redneck wrote:

If you don't pray in school, I won't think in chruch.

When I went to South Umpqua high near Canyonville they had a Bible class, never went to it and it did not kill anybody who did.
When I was a kid in Canyonville elementary and junior high the teachers would somewhat quote scripture.
I guess times have changed.

This is a real shame. Milo is a place that seems to be often misunderstood, but as a former student I can honestly say that the atmosphere there is both friendly and Christian. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But to bring such trumped-up allegations against the school will only serve to harm an institution who's aim is to help kids grow academically and spiritually. Oh, and by the way, Kirk Haley is a man for whom I have the utmost amount of respect. He is a good man and a great dean, and one of my personal heroes.
I'll continue to observe the case with interest. I only hope that things work out for the best.

Past parent_Milo Student wrote:

I had to pull my son out of this school. This school is worse than any public school for extremely poor judgment by the adults who are suppose to be watching over and protecting the students. Very, very little adult supervision in the dorms and around the campus, very short staffed. And those who are supposed to be spiritually guiding the young adults are spiritually bankrupt themselves. Especially the Principal Randy Bovee, and the boys dean of the year 2005/06, Kirk Haley and his wife Linda Haley.
The smartest thing for anyone who has kids at this school would be to pull them out ASAP. The stories I have heard from my kid after I got him out of their make me sick to my stomach. Not counting our personal experiences. I hope they get sued so bad they have to close their doors, it would be the best thing to happen to the SDA.

you're a f*cking idiot, and your son is the apple that doesnt fall far from the tree
Milo is the best place ever.

Past parent_Milo Student wrote:

I had to pull my son out of this school. This school is worse than any public school for extremely poor judgment by the adults who are suppose to be watching over and protecting the students. Very, very little adult supervision in the dorms and around the campus, very short staffed. And those who are supposed to be spiritually guiding the young adults are spiritually bankrupt themselves. Especially the Principal Randy Bovee, and the boys dean of the year 2005/06, Kirk Haley and his wife Linda Haley.
The smartest thing for anyone who has kids at this school would be to pull them out ASAP. The stories I have heard from my kid after I got him out of their make me sick to my stomach. Not counting our personal experiences. I hope they get sued so bad they have to close their doors, it would be the best thing to happen to the SDA.

Your f*****g stupid. you obviously have never gone to public school. I would like to see you run a school day and night full of teenagers, and get paid s**t.

i know the accused offender & know that things at that school are most certainly BLOWN WAY OUT OF PROPORTION when brought to the discipline committee. honestly...this is bullshit! i know for a fact that the accused is an amazing young woman...& would never even consider doing such a thing. i myself was wrongfully expelled from that place...but mr. haley is anything BUT corrupt. he's one of three staff members who fought for me to stay in school. whoever is writing all this one-sided nonsense...i believe that you may need to evaluate your decisions based upon what you know....not what you think. hmmm....some administration at the school does as well.

I've known the "accused" party since my freshman year and she has received nothing but the worst as far as I am concerned. I also know the teen and I saw how bad she felt. Both of them said it didn't happen and it was just a rumor. I know how rumors are at Milo... that's the only negative part about Milo. And the staff are absolutely amazing. They treat the students as if they were their own. And to the person who said Mr. Haley and Mr. Bovee weren't spiritual... who are you to judge? Mr. Haley is definitely one of the nicest people I have EVER met. And even though I lived in the girl's dorm, he always welcomed everyone to come visit him in his office. He is totally sweet. And as for Mr. Bovee, let's see YOU try to run a school with a bunch of teens. You have to keep in mind that not everyone that attends Milo is Seventh Day Adventist or even a Christian and there are even some who's parents sent them there because they were troubled or whatever. The newspaper that wrote this article really needs to look closer at the real story and stop basing the articles off of rumors. And to the parents of the teen girl who was "abused", "forgive them Father, for they do not know."

So, based on the responses I've seen here, I guess I see why it is so difficult for someone who has been sexually abused to come forward.

On one hand,if the young accuser is not being truthful, anyone reading this who IS a victim of sexual abuse would be less likely to come forward based on the virulent commentary. Who would want to sign up to be the object of that kind of abuse?

On the other hand, if the young accuser is being truthful, then again, based on the commentary, not only she, but other victims, might feel that it is not worth the negative attacks to pursue the matter.

Really, the story is simply describing the suit as it is written - whether it seems one-sided is a reflection of the described suit. The journalist is just telling the news as it has presented itself. That said, if the accuser is exonerated or found guilty, then there would be an expectation that the story would be told as the facts present themselves.

Rather, whether the ACCUSED is exonerated or found guilty, then there would be an expectation that the story would be told as the facts present themselves.

I was considering Milo Academy. I will have to think real hard now.

Interested parent wrote:

I was considering Milo Academy. I will have to think real hard now.

still consider Milo. it really is a good school. this whole thing was a HUGE misunderstanding. Milo is really Christian oriented and your kid will make friends that will last forever.

Hello. My name is Michelle Stevenson and I recently settled a lawsuit as I was raped in my church by a known pedophile.

What happened in my case was a young man named Scott Harrison was caught molesting children in Gig Harbor, Washington. In order to keep him out of trouble his parents sent him to his grandparents in Salem, Oregon. His grandparents, hoping to raise Scott as a son (Scott was only 15 at the time) went to Pastors David Schmidt and Gary Gantz for help. They shared with them about the accusations and juvenile court mandate. Schmidt and Gantz took Scott under their wing. They hired him as a babysitter for an evangelical meeting, he taught me sign language, the pastors gave his name out as an excellent babysitter. He went to Pathfinders, as did my whole family--my father was the Pathfinder leader and my mother was a counselor. Scott was a Junior Counselor and Junior Deacon.

In 1993 a little boy said Scott was touching him. There was an investigation. The pastors had a meeting with the parents of two victims of Scott (the victims were ages 1 year and 3 years) and admitted knowing all along about the juvenile court mandate.

They promised the parents that Scott would not be allowed near children anymore. It was around this time that Scott sadistically raped me, a seven-year old, in the church sanctuary and all around the church (the church library, the Earli-teen room, the side rooms to the family room).

The pastors didn't keep their promise to the parents and instead gave a glowing recommendation for Scott to work at the Oregon Blind School. When Scott was finally caught red-handed sadistically raping an autistic, blind, otherwise severely disabled child, he confessed to 21 children. He still didn't pass lie detector tests. One law enforcement officer hypothesized that there were closer to 40 or 50 victims in the 2, 3 years Scott raped children in Salem, Oregon. He didn't confess to me.

When I, a scared 16-year old tried to go to the Oregon Conference for help I was told the abuse was my fault because I shouldn't have been walking around. I continued begging them for help for 6 years--while I was homeless, while I was in an abusive relationship, while I was deeply struggling, alone, and spiritually broken. I didn't sue until I was 23, under extreme duress.

How this has hurt me and drastically changed my life! The pastors who protected Scott, they were dear friends of the family. When my parents realized the depth of their duplicity they wept and wept. I love them and hate them and have been scarred by them more than I can ever describe.

I also went to Milo. I know the Haley's. I have no right to judge them, or the Bovee's whom I also know. I know nothing about this situation. I doubt any of you do either. The ones who do know something are told by various lawyers to be quiet, keep a stiff upper lip. I've been there.

Keep in mind you are slinging mud at real people here. I remember all too well how I wept when I read at clubadventist how "hello! why didn't this girl scream out????) Oh, people. I did scream out! Scott covered my mouth and I passed out.

Sometimes, still, when my wonderful, gentle husband tries to have sex with me, I have flashbacks and think it is Scott again.

Where is the love in this forum? I am embarrassed to have connections to any of you. Shame on you! Let this girl be. She is precious, she deserves respect. If ever there were a time to be silent and admit your own lack of knowledge, now is the time!!!!!

We know nothing, and if you do know something, trust me, the investigators will come to you. They did to every single person who was remotely connected to Scott or I.

Shame on you. I am disgusted. I am glad to shake you from my feet.

Terah Bardell?

I always wondered if Scott hurt you too because you were so mean to me growing up. I guess not. I'm glad.

You remember in my camper? When we laid down on the big bed over the truck bed and read Bible stories? That campout where we made puppets and the police knocked on my camper door in the middle of the night, and Mom answered, and the police said someone had been raped? Or the time someone pulled the fire alarm at the Pathfinder fair. Or how nice your sister and brother always were to me, and how shy I was, and how I could never figure out why you hated me. So Terah, why did you hate me? Was there a specific reason?

And why, specifically, are you being so cruel on this board? There are polite ways to go about expressing opinions.

-Michelle Stevenson-Durham, That Girl Whose Family is Friends with Your Family

She probably doesn't remember Michelle only abuse surviviours are tortured with hypervigilant memories that are so reliable it's as if it all happened yesterday. Including all the other cruelity because the abuse 'made us a bit different' the bullying the isolation. I remember after my most appaulling abuse at school 'apart from one girl' who put her arms around me being austrsised by the other children and the other teachers would turn their heads and not look at you straight in the eye when you were visiably upset.
I hope the SDA chruch has learnt or is learning how NOT to treat it's surviours based on what you have been put through. I can hardly believe with all the awareness of child abuse that you would still being put through hell in the new malenium.
Something has to change, there has to be a better way!
As far as this case is concerned I hope to God none of the witnesses including the plaintiff and defendent are hostile to the court i.e hostile to the truth that some transperancy on the matters will be acheived as a way of preventing any similar events like this in the future.
And I agree 100% for all you other judgemental know alls keep the hell out of it. These are human beings with feelings and emotions people take their lives when they read such cruel words said in public. If your SDA Christian education was not wasted on you show some compassion, you can do that by butting out. If you really care about the church and the school like you say you do by mouthing off in public you are just wracking up the damages bill by the way, something to keep in mind.

Terah Bardell wrote:

<quoted text>
Your f*****g stupid. you obviously have never gone to public school. I would like to see you run a school day and night full of teenagers, and get paid s**t.

Not nice response from someone from your background is it?. I think your parents would be ashamed and your pastor

I think I know what will help diffuse high hurt on this board.

I hardly know the Bovee's or the Haley's. But I will say here what I know of the Haley's.

Mr. Haley's mother was my boss in the kitchens. She helped me survive a very unhappy year. She bought me stuffed animals. She smiled at me. She hugged me. She tried to get me to be optimistic. I made it through that year with the crutch of her deep kindnesses.

Towards the end of the year I started coming forward to choice friends about what happened to me. My closest friends told me others who had been abused, also students at the school. Without fail those students would advise me: "Go to Mr. Haley! He'll take you to a counselor. He'll listen."

I ended up not going to him because he is irrefutably male, and I was terrified. It was close to the end of the year, I didn't want my parents to be told I had been abused, etc, etc. So I never got to know Mr. Haley well, I just knew him from around campus.

It was alway good to have those significant people in our life along the way that have kept us going. There were teachers in the schools I went to after the abuse and at one school where I was abused who were kind and tried really hard. One was another headmaster Mr Perry:-) a new Zealander as well, Mr Perry restorded my faith in New zealanders and head masters as not all being bad abusive people.

Interested parent wrote:

I was considering Milo Academy. I will have to think real hard now.

I lived at Milo for ten years and interacted with the staff while my kids grew up. They are 110% committed to the kids and making Milo a great place. My son will be attending this year and I know he will have access to a good education and be in a place where people are interested in taking care of him.
The principal of the school my son attended last year stated that whatever my son gets out of education will be up to him.."if he is looking to do well, he will be able to...if he is looking to get into trouble, he can find that too."

NONE of this is True. And whoever wrote about Kirk Haley & Linda Haley.. They are WONDERFUL.. Milo is the most amazing, well spiritual school anyone could possibly attend.. It's very special.

I think this is amazing, this is not a criminal investigation...because there is no proof. This is all about trying to get money. If there was somthing real most parents would want the full force of the law, not the full force of money.