Hilltop Baptist School

Hilltop Baptist School
Location
6915 Palmer Park Boulevard Colorado Springs, Colorado
United States
Coordinates 38°51′27″N 104°41′58″W / 38.85755°N 104.69946°WCoordinates: 38°51′27″N 104°41′58″W / 38.85755°N 104.69946°W
Information
Type Private school
Motto Preparing Youth for Here and Eternity
Established 1979
School district 49
Principal Jan Ocvirk
Faculty 20
Grades K-12
Enrollment 148
Color(s) Red, white and blue             
Athletics 1A [1]
Athletics conference Black Forest League[1]
Mascot Centurion[1]
Affiliation Christian
Information 719-597-1880 Ext. 19
ETS code 060281

Hilltop Baptist School was a private Christian school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado started in 1979 and closed in 2010. The school was a ministry of Hilltop Baptist Church and belonged to the Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools (SBACS).

History

The school was founded in 1979 and was in continuous operation until the end of the 2010/2011 school year.

In November 2011, Hilltop Baptist pastor Franklin “Wayne” Knight was arrested on four counts for knowing about his niece molesting a child at Hilltop Baptist School, but "failed to comply with a state law requiring them to report it to law enforcement.[2] According to court affidavits, Knight "displayed a consistent pattern to manipulate and control the situation--not only among the faculty at Hilltop Baptist School--but also among parent, church members and students" and "The pastor also allegedly lied about having conducted a lie detector test."[3] That same month Hilltop Baptist Church was sued by parents and teachers who reported cases of sex abuse to Pastor Wayne Knight who told the employees he had "previous knowledge about the matter and promised to investigate," but instead fired the employees a month later.[4] In February 2012, Knight took a plea deal where he "pleaded guilty to being an accessory to a crime and failure to report suspected child abuse," and planned to move to Texas.[5]

In 2010, Hilltop Baptist School closed after enrollment dropped.[6] Since 2012, Hilltop Baptist Church was closed and its website was no longer online.[7] Knight's brother, Raymond "Alan" Knight, "reopened" the church sometime in 2013 and launched a new website at a different web address.[8] In 2013, the teacher pled guilty to sexual assault.[9]

Hilltop Baptist Church also operated the unaccredited Patriot Bible University for which Wayne Knight served as president.[10][11]

Extracurricular activities

Hilltop Baptist fields teams in basketball, cheerleading, football, track, and volleyball in Colorado High School Activities Association sanctioned competition.

Other extracurricular activities include Bible Club, offered before and after school, High School Honors English and Honors Science.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 School Profile - Hilltop Baptist High School. Colorado High School Activities Association.
  2. ↑ "Hilltop Baptist School Teacher, Pastors, And Principal Arrested In Colo. Springs Child Sexual Assault Case". Huffington Post. November 17, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  3. ↑ "Former Christian school teacher accused of having sex with student for over a year while her father, her uncle and former principal all covered it up". Daily Mail. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  4. ↑ "Mom claims church knew of prior molestations". KXRM-TV. 81 November 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-14. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ↑ "Arrested Pastor Takes Plea Deal In Child Abuse Case". KMGH-TV. February 28, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  6. ↑ "Pastor, school administration accused of covering up sex abuse". The Gazette (Colorado Springs). November 17, 2011. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  7. ↑ "Hilltop Baptist Church". Hilltop Baptist Church. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  8. ↑ Knight, Allen (2013). "Hilltop Baptist Church". Welcome to Hilltop Baptist Church. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  9. ↑ "Teacher Pleads Guilty To Sex Assault Charges". KKTV. Jan 31, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  10. ↑ Skinner, Lonnie (April 2007). "Brief History to Present Day". Patriot Bible University. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  11. ↑ "Patriot Bible University: Staff, Faculty, Directors". Patriot Bible University. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2000-09-04. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

External links