A Christian school is denying claims that it expelled a 15-year-old student for having a rainbow cake at a party.
The denial comes after a family accused Whitefield Academy, a private Christian school in Kentucky, of expelling their teenage daughter over a rainbow birthday cake.
Kimberly Alford claimed to local media that Whitefield Academy expelled her daughter following a social media post, believed to be one of the student with the cake, as well as a rainbow sweater.
"I just feel like it's a label (school officials) have put on her," she said to the Courier-Journal. "Just because I'm wearing a rainbow doesn't mean I'm gay."
However, in an email statement on Wednesday morning, Whitefield Academy denied that the photo was the reason for the expulsion.
The school has stated: "In fact, she has unfortunately violated our student code of conduct numerous times over the past two years. In the fall, we met with the student to give her a final chance to begin to adhere to our code of conduct. Unfortunately, she did not live up to the agreement, and therefore, has been expelled."
Whitefield says that students enrolled at the institution must "adhere to a lifestyle informed by our Christian beliefs" and that parents are made aware of that from the onset.
"There are numerous school options in our community for students who do not wish to attend a Christian-based school, and we wish our former student all the best as she finds a learning environment that is right for her," the statement continued. "It is unfortunate that one of the student's parents chose to post internal family matters on social media, and we hope our former student is not adversely affected by what her parents chose to make public about her situation."
Whitefield Academy was founded in 1976, originally as a ministry of Highview Baptist Church, and offers educational programming from preschool to the senior year of high school.
"Whitefield is looking for students from Christian homes who desire to be part of the Whitefield family. Our students have a desire to be successful both spiritually as well as academically," the school's website states. "Students looking to enroll should understand they will pursue an advanced curriculum designed to prepare them for college and life. Whitefield's policies support the admissions of students from a variety of ethnic, denominational, and socio-economic backgrounds."
