Parents at Virginia Christian school petition to remove church pastor over use of school's tuition

Parents at Virginia Christian school feuding with church pastor

Parents with children at Christ Chapel Academy tell FOX 5 they have eight days to decide if they?re going to keep their children at the school amid protests over allegations that the school is raising tuition to help pull its partner church out of trouble.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. - Parents with children at Christ Chapel Academy tell FOX 5 they have eight days to decide if they’re going to keep their children at the school. The deadline comes protests over allegations the school is raising tuition to help pull its partner church out of trouble. 

There’s now a petition circulating online demanding the immediate resignation of Lead Pastor Bob Griffith at Christ Chapel Church. So far it has more than 200 signatures.

What we know:

Christ Chapel Academy is a private K-12 school with approximately 450 students.

Right now, tuition costs $12,000 a year and families reportedly have until July 22 to cancel their child’s enrollment without penalty.

What they're saying:

Mom Jennifer Huber tells FOX 5 the church has lost a significant percent of its membership.

"The church has lost 30 percent of its membership under Pastor Bob, who’s been there the last four years," Huber said. "It’s contracting. It’s having financial trouble. It’s never run in the black, it’s been in the red since he took over.

Huber and parent Verndell Robinson say in response the pastor is allegedly using money from the church’s school tuition to fund church activities.

"This one person is standing in our way of continuing our school the way it has been in this community," mom Verndell Robinson said.

The other side:

FOX 5 reached out via phone and email to the church’s pastor and were awaiting a response.

FOX 5 reached out to Assemblies of God churches, which oversees the pastor and Christ Chapel Church. We have not yet heard back from them.