Dear Members of the Cypress Christian School Board of Directors,
We write as parents and supporters who chose Cypress Christian School because of its commitment to biblical truth, academic excellence, strong leadership, and partnership with families in raising and educating our children. That mission and culture are central to why we enrolled our children, invest our time and resources in CCS, and encourage other families to become part of this community.
We care deeply about Cypress Christian School and want it to emerge from the challenges of recent months stronger, safer, more unified, and deserving of the trust families have placed in it.
We also recognize the considerable responsibility presently resting on the Board. Serious matters involving employees and school leadership require prayer, wisdom, courage, fairness, and careful stewardship. We do not take that responsibility lightly, and we do not presume that every difficult personnel decision can or should be explained publicly.
At the same time, the events of the past several months have created significant uncertainty within the CCS community.
In April, the school terminated former employee Jared Barber after learning of allegations involving inappropriate electronic communications with a former student. The matter subsequently resulted in criminal charges in Georgia.
On August 4, the Board informed families that separate concerns involving Coach Kris Hogan were under independent third-party review and that Coach Hogan had been placed on paid administrative leave. In that same communication, the Board announced that two independent organizations would review CCS policies, procedures, student-safety practices, safeguards, reporting processes, training, and accountability.
Then, on September 30, the Board informed families that Head of School Dr. Jeff Potts had also been placed on administrative leave while the Board conducts another review. The Board emphasized in that communication that the Head of School is accountable to the Board and that the Board is responsible for oversight of that office.
We do not assume that these matters are connected, nor do we presume guilt, wrongdoing, or any particular outcome concerning individuals whose circumstances remain under review.
That uncertainty is precisely why clear communication from the Board is now so important.
We understand that personnel matters, information involving minors, legal considerations, and active investigations impose legitimate limits on what the Board can disclose. We are not asking the Board to disclose private personnel records, identify students, compromise an investigation, or prejudge anyone involved.
We are asking for greater transparency about process, governance, accountability, and the actions being taken to protect the school and establish the truth.
Confidentiality should not prevent the Board from explaining how concerns are evaluated, who is conducting reviews, how independence and fairness are protected, what institutional issues are being examined, what improvements have already been made, and when families can reasonably expect additional information.
When substantive information is absent for extended periods, speculation inevitably fills the void. That is unhealthy for the individuals involved and for the school community as a whole. It can damage reputations before facts are established, create unnecessary division, undermine confidence in leadership, and make it increasingly difficult for families to distinguish fact from rumor.
We believe truth and fairness must govern this process in equal measure.
Allegations must be taken seriously. Student safety must remain paramount. Those accused must also be treated fairly and without prejudgment. When facts establish wrongdoing, there must be accountability. When allegations are not substantiated, that too should be communicated to the extent legally and appropriately possible.
Neither reflexive dismissal of concerns nor predetermined judgment serves our children or reflects the Christian principles we expect CCS to uphold.
We respectfully ask the Board to provide the following:
1. A clear explanation of the review and governance process.
Without disclosing confidential personnel information, please explain how concerns involving senior CCS employees and leadership are received, investigated, evaluated, and ultimately resolved; who is responsible for those decisions; what measures ensure independence and impartiality; and what role outside investigators, legal counsel, or other independent professionals play in the process.
2. An update regarding the independent student-safety reviews announced on August 4.
The Board informed families that two nationally respected organizations were being engaged to conduct independent, forward-looking reviews of CCS policies, procedures, student-safety practices, safeguards, reporting processes, training, and accountability. Please identify those organizations, describe the scope of their work, tell families whether those reviews have been completed and, if not, provide an anticipated timeline for completion. We also ask the Board to commit to sharing an appropriate summary of their findings, recommendations, and resulting corrective actions with the CCS community while protecting confidential information.
3. Appropriate clarification concerning the Barber, Hogan, and Potts matters.
We recognize that the Board has described the Hogan matter as separate from the Barber matter. With Dr. Potts now also on administrative leave, we respectfully ask the Board to clarify, to the extent legally permissible, whether these three matters are related in any respect involving student safety, reporting obligations, supervision, governance, administrative response, or institutional policy. If they are entirely unrelated, communicating that clearly would itself help reduce unnecessary speculation. We are not asking for confidential allegations or personnel details. We are asking for whatever institutional clarification can responsibly be provided.
4. A summary of actions being taken to strengthen CCS.
Families should understand what the school has learned institutionally and what changes have resulted. Please provide an appropriate summary of any improvements already implemented or planned regarding student safeguarding, employee-student communications, hiring and background checks, mandatory reporting, training, supervision, escalation procedures, leadership accountability, and Board oversight.
5. An independent channel for concerns involving senior leadership.
Recent events demonstrate the importance of students, parents, faculty, and staff having a clearly identified avenue to raise serious concerns outside the ordinary administrative chain when those concerns involve senior school leadership. The Board itself emphasized in August that school administration had been intentionally separated from the Hogan investigation and that the independent reviewer reported directly to the Board. We ask the Board to identify the independent reporting and escalation mechanism currently available - or establish one if necessary - and communicate it clearly to the entire CCS community.
6. Meaningful and regular communication with families.
We ask the Board to establish a reasonable communication cadence during this period of uncertainty. Updates need not disclose confidential information. They can identify what portions of a review have been completed, what remains outstanding, whether anticipated timelines have changed, what institutional actions have resulted, and when families should expect the next update. Even an update stating that a review remains ongoing and explaining the next step provides greater confidence than prolonged silence.
7. A direct opportunity for parents to engage with the Board.
We respectfully request a structured parent forum with appropriate members of the Board. We recognize that the Board will not be able to answer every question, particularly questions involving confidential personnel matters. That should not prevent meaningful dialogue about governance, school safety, communication, culture, institutional safeguards, and the path forward. The purpose should not be confrontation. It should be communication, listening, and restoration of trust.
Our concern is the future of Cypress Christian School
We are concerned about the effect continued uncertainty may have on students, faculty, valued employees, families, donors, and the culture that brought this community together.
We are aware of families and supporters who have paused or are reconsidering financial support because of declining confidence in the Board's communication and decision-making process. We also recognize that the Board may be making difficult decisions precisely because it is exercising its responsibility to protect the institution.
That is why greater transparency regarding process and institutional response matters so much.
Our financial commitment to CCS does not entitle us to anyone's private information. It does make us deeply invested partners in this community. More importantly, we have entrusted our children's education, relationships, safety, and spiritual formation to Cypress Christian School.
The Board bears ultimate governance responsibility. We respect that authority.
But effective governance and meaningful engagement with the community are not mutually exclusive.
Families should have appropriate opportunities to raise concerns, provide relevant information, understand how the institution is responding to significant events, and receive reasonable explanations once major decisions have been made.
Restoring confidence will require visible leadership: a willingness to listen, explain processes and decisions where appropriate, acknowledge institutional shortcomings if they are identified, correct misinformation when facts allow it, and communicate consistently even when circumstances are difficult.
Transparency does not require compromising confidentiality.
Accountability does not require prejudging individuals.
Fairness does not require silence.
We believe Cypress Christian School can honor all three.
Christ's example calls us toward truth, courage, humility, justice, wisdom, and love. We ask that those principles remain evident both in the decisions being made and in the way the Board communicates with the community it serves.
We respectfully request:
- a written response addressing the matters outlined above;
- an update regarding the independent safety and policy reviews announced August 4;
- a date for a parent forum with appropriate Board representation; and
- a reasonable schedule for continued communication while the current reviews remain unresolved.
Our objective is not to undermine Cypress Christian School or its leadership.
It is to protect and strengthen an institution we love.
We want CCS to emerge from this period with its mission intact, its safeguards strengthened, its community reunited around truth, and the trust between its Board and families restored.
We are prepared to listen.
We are prepared to help.
And we respectfully ask the leadership entrusted with Cypress Christian School to lead.
Respectfully,
Concerned Parents and Supporters of Cypress Christian School