A Louisiana pastor and headmaster of a Christian school, Lakeside Christian School in Slidell, Louisiana, who is also a member of the state’s Republican Party governing board and a former “Survivor” contestant has been charged with three counts of child cruelty for taping students’ mouths shut for talking too much.
Jesus
“Our students are encouraged to walk daily with Christ as they grow in maturity and stature surrounded by a dedicated, nurturing faculty,” Lakeside’s website describes the school.
But WWL reported three students and their parents said the children were brought by Raymond to his office, where the children’s mouths were closed with packing tape that wrapped around their heads.
Slidell Police said that interviews of students as well as parents and faculty at Lakeside Christian, led them to conclude that Raymond became angry and at some point used packing tape to tape the students’ mouths shut by wrapping it around their heads.
Police said that Raymond then sent the children back to class with their mouths shut and that lasted for about 45 minutes until another school administrator began feeling uncomfortable about the situation and used scissors to remove the tape.
Prayers
Louisiana Rep. Mary DuBuisson, who represents the area, said several people contacted her when the news broke. “Prayers for these children in that they can get through this horrific event,” DuBuisson said. “Because you can say it’s taping the mouth shut, but we know all know it’s more than that. Just the embarrassment and the trauma.”
The report said the tape had to be cut off with scissors, and Slidell Police added, “During the encounter, the students claim they had trouble breathing and that the removal process was painful.”
The police were made aware of the incident after receiving a complaint from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) regarding potential child abuse at the Lakeside Christian School. After presenting evidence to the judge on Thursday morning, police said that Raymond turned himself in.
On Thursday afternoon, the Reverend John Raymond, who is headmaster of the Lakeside Christian School in Slidell, Louisiana, was booked by the Slidell Police Department for three counts of cruelty to juveniles, the police wrote in a Facebook post.
