CHARLOTTE, N.C. – One of Charlotte’s largest churches now sees itself facing legal troubles.
Two more families are joining a lawsuit against Calvary Church in south Charlotte, claiming the church discriminated against their children by illegally expelling them from school over health issues.
“In the beginning, he would cry every morning on his way to his new school,” said Lid Brundage.
Brundage was shocked last fall when her four-year-old son Carter was allegedly kicked out of the Calvary Church Child Development Center.
“It was just overnight one day he was there, the next day he wasn’t,” Brundage explained.
Brundage believes her son was dismissed because the school wrongfully perceived Carter has ADHD. Brundage herself attended Calvary’s school program. She says that school director Pat Collins told her to seek other options for her son.
“She said there’s nothing they could do to help him, he needed to go somewhere else,” Brundage said. “She could give me a list of daycares.”
Carmen Shaw also joined the lawsuit and claims her son Jaxon, who has some developmental delays, was asked to leave Calvary’s summer camp day car last June.
“Her rationale for wanting me to find an alternative childcare was that he wasn’t able to transition from the playground to line up at school,” Shaw said.
The two original students in the lawsuit also claim the school callously expelled them for health reasons. Brundage hopes for a change in policy and new leadership at the church.
“It’s time for someone to be in there that is more educated on all different types of ability,” said Brundage.
NBC Charlotte reached out to Calvary Church for a response or comment on these allegations, to which the church replied, “No comment.”
