Las Vegas parents caught off guard as school, day care abruptly close
The abrupt closure of Calvary Christian Learning Academy during spring break sent parents scrambling Tuesday to find new day care and school arrangements as they awaited answers about the private school’s plunge into bankruptcy.
Most parents whose children attended the day care or kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school in the northwest Las Vegas Valley learned of the closure Monday night through an email from the bankruptcy trustee, Kavita Gupta.
On a Facebook post that’s since been deleted, officials with the school said the decision was out of their control and was solely made by Gupta.
“The administration and leadership was not given prior notice,” the post read. “Our hearts break alongside yours and (we) are praying for everyone affected by this.”
The school was on spring break this week, but the day care had remained open and the school had offered a spring break camp.
The reason for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy wasn’t immediately clear, although court filings show that proceedings originated in June 2017. It also was unclear how the bankruptcy proceedings will affect Calvary Community Church, which operated the school. In court filings, the church is referred to as Calvary Community Assembly of God.
Gupta did not return calls or emails Tuesday from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Calls to the school and the church were not returned.
In the email, parents were told they could make arrangements to pick up any personal property that had been left at the school at 2900 N. Torrey Pines Drive. Student educational records were being turned over to the state Department of Education, it said.
Clark County School District principals in the area were made aware of the closure because it may lead to new students enrolling, spokeswoman Melinda Malone said. Parents looking for their nearest school can visit ccsd.net.
Parent questions
Samantha O’Brien, whose 3-year-old daughter attended the Calvary day care, learned of the closure Monday night from her daughter’s teacher — also a parent at the school. O’Brien said she was helping her daughter get ready for bed and hadn’t been monitoring her email.
O’Brien said she called her mother, who drove to Las Vegas from California, to stay with the family and provide care for her daughter for the week, while O’Brien searches for another affordable day care option.
By midmorning Tuesday, O’Brien had found another location, but she said she would have to pay a registration fee in addition to the monthly care payments. That will be a hardship, said O’Brien, who works as a sales representative for a beverage company. Her husband works, too, but he also has stage 5 kidney failure and is on dialysis at night.
“She’s just going to keep her for a week so I can save some money,” she said of her mom. “I’m trying to scrounge up everything. It just sucks.”
Danielle Black, whose 4-year-old and 9-month-old children attend the school and day care, was angry she was not given more notice. She said she had to take Tuesday off from work and scramble to find immediate day care as well a new school for her 4-year-old.
Black said there are 198 children enrolled in the day care — the highest number since her children have been attending the facility. Her older child had been at the school since he was 15 months old.
She also questioned why the school sent re-enrollment forms for the 2018-19 school year and why it continued to hold fundraisers when it seemed apparent the administration knew the school was going to shut down.
‘When one door closes’
Parents and families determined to keep their kids in a Christian school may find refuge at Crossroads Christian Academy, a day care and elementary school on North Tenaya Way in Las Vegas. Founder Tammy Cross said Tuesday she had decided to open up a new classroom or two for affected families after hearing about the closure on the news.
“I came into work and I got a phone call immediately, and I’ve had a few parents crying. They were just in shock. They didn’t know where to put their children,” she said Tuesday. “I’m just in shock right along with them. I can’t even imagine.”
Cross hopes to hire a couple of the school’s teachers, and as of 11 a.m., she said had heard from 15 different families who were interested in touring her school.
“As the Bible says, ‘When one door closes, another opens,’ and I’m just thankful our door is the other door,” she said.
Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writers Max Michor and Dennis Rudner contributed to this report.
Notice to K-8 Calvary Christian Learning Academy Parents by Las Vegas Review-Journal on Scribd
Notice to Daycare Parents at Calvary Christian Learning Academy by Las Vegas Review-Journal on Scribd
