Editorial
This man has been a teacher, PE coach, and the head basketball team for the boys and girls!!!!
This private school is tied to the Free Life Chapel in Lakeland on N Socrum Loop Rd.
Their pastor acts like an actor and not a pastor. In the video of the parent’s meeting below, he acts nonchalantly and dismissive to the mothers in the audience.
The Lakeland Gazette tried to reach Pastor Scott Thomas, but he would not return our messages.
Pastor Scott Thomas led the Without Walls International Church, Court records show the church defaulted on the mortgage and was forced the church into bankruptcy. Without Walls owed $13 million on its Tampa property and $12.5 million on the church’s Lakeland branch.
The man we are talking about is ……. Corey Hodges
Hodges has a disgusting past and should not be anywhere near children for that matter, much less letting them teach our children and exposing them to what could be or probably has happened already and hasn’t been brought forward.
Excel Christian Academy is choosing to “find forgiveness as Christians” That’s their motto to hide behind.
Hodges was arrested and charged with molesting children, and for entering drugs into the correctional facility where he worked, and although the court found him not guilty in that case, he was court-ordered to complete a diversion program that cleared that accusation in the court’s eyes.
https://volusiaexposed.com/vcso/molested/vcsoreport.pdf
Hodges also lied about not being arrested for child molesting when he was hired in Flagler to which they fired him immediately!
One of the security guards at Excel Christian Academy resigned last year because he complained to Dr. Jennifer Clark (Headmaster) about some stuff that he saw on the cameras about Hodges and Hodges giving hugs to female students, etc, the security company knew about Hodges’s background. And Dr. Clark did nothing.
Why is there nothing being done and why has Hodges been able to be at a Christian-based school for 4 years?
In years past Excel Christian Academy and Pastor Scott Thomas met with parents privately when they found out about Hodges. This year parents went to social media that’s why they had a parents meeting.
Pastor Scott Thomas told the parents if they do not like it withdraw their kid(s).
Corey Hodges (Secondary Principal) was the one in charge of the policy at the school per Pastor Scott Thomas the night of the meeting when they shut out the parents to avoid answering questions regarding Hodges’s background.
Hodges is also a coach at Free Life Chapel ……
The FACTS on Corey Hodges
2007—–
Arrested for possession of Marijuana and introducing a controlled substance into Tomoka Correctional Institution where he worked as a correctional officer. (Feb 2008)
Charges were dropped after he completed a diversion program
Hodges gave up his correctional officer certification in 2009.
2008 ——
Hodges began working as a child specialist at Stewart-Marchmen – A Behavioral Healthcare. (Feb 2008) and was fired when the information arose about girls coming forward.
** 15-year-old girl – allegedly molested twice by Hodges.
Hodges told her not to tell
On the 3rd occasion, the same girl broke her finger playing basketball and Hodges drove her home ALONE to Halifax hospital against policy to go alone where he allegedly sexually assaulted her again.
** 17 and 18-year-old girls said he would often ask for hugs and make comments about other girls’ bodies and tell them they should be strippers because of their bodies.
** A 14-year-old girl said she was ordered to get out of bed while going through heroin withdrawal. She told him she was naked. She got up and tried to cover herself with blankets when Hodges ordered her to drop it.
A Sheriff’s Office report said Hodges is seen on video going into a girl’s bedroom and touching her inappropriately.
Hodges denied these allegations, but video footage shows him entering the girls’ rooms alone which was again against policy.
He was arrested by the Flagler Country Sheriff’s office and taken to jail
2013- He worked at a residential adolescent program (RAP) where he allegedly molested a boy during a strip search.
2018- 2019 – Hodges was hired by Flagler Schools as a substitute teacher. Hodges’s job as a substitute, he lied on his application about his criminal history answering no to having a prior arrest or convictions which is the reason he was fired once they found out.
2019 – Hodges was an active substitute teacher at both Indian Trails Middle School and Bunnel Elementary School and was FIRED from both.
2020 to present – Hired at Excel without extensive background check, if they did they would realize why he isn’t allowed to teach at public schools.
3.9 million dollars made in state school scholarship funding in 2023 and it’s alleged Excel Christian Academy is rigging the grades to look as though kids are passing and then when they transfer out the parents quickly realize how far behind their children are.
Changed behavior starts with staying away from situations that got you in trouble in the first place.
Many concerned parents have unenrolled their children days after finding out about this information.
We are deeply worried about the safety of other children there.
This needs to be a concern that is taken seriously and just because all of this is in the past, the past never leaves a person when it comes to the sexual assault of a child.
Editorial Note: We would like to thank all the parents who contacted the Lakeland Gazette concerning the safety of their children.
Our daughter unfortunately went to Excel for one year. It was an absolute nightmare. Disgusting teachers with no teaching certificates. No learning at all. We meet with “Dr” Clark about problems going on and she was rude, called us liars and stated her only focus was “title one” getting more money.
There is a lot of unethical and down right criminal behavior going on there