South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles has denied a request from three employees of Maranatha Christian School in Florence to return to work while facing charges related to the failure to report child abuse.
Dr. Dawn Kirven (school principal), Jessica Anngeline Elmore (Childcare Development Director), and Pastor Lee Patrick (church pastor and administrator) were all charged in February. Elmore faces two counts of failure to report child abuse or neglect, while Kirven and Patrick also face criminal conspiracy charges.
Their attorney, Shipp Daniel, asked the court to allow the employees to return to their positions ahead of the upcoming school year. Daniel argued that the charges, particularly conspiracy, are expected to be dropped in exchange for guilty pleas to failure to report, a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to six months.
David Richardson with the 12th Circuit Solicitor’s Office confirmed that a plea deal had been discussed but said the case remains open and unresolved.
The motion faced strong opposition from parents, including Austin and Carrie Royal, whose child was one of the victims. Austin Royal spoke emotionally in court, accusing school officials of lying and covering up the abuse rather than communicating transparently with families.
In May, the Royals filed a lawsuit naming the school, Maranatha Childcare Center, First Free Will Baptist Church of Florence, Inc., and several individuals, including Laurin Boyce — the former daycare worker who has already pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child. Boyce, 73, received concurrent 90-day sentences with credit for time served.
Investigators said Boyce committed multiple acts of abuse, including slamming a child’s head into a crib, covering a child’s head with a blanket, dragging a child by the limbs, and dropping them on their head. Additional reports from 2011 to 2025 describe years of abuse and neglect, including pinching, striking children with objects, and leaving them unsupervised. According to the lawsuit, Maranatha leadership failed to discipline Boyce and instead issued repeated verbal warnings while prioritizing the school’s reputation over child safety.
Attorney Daniel argued that Kirven and Elmore had only recently taken on their roles and were not responsible for past incidents. He emphasized that once the 2025 incident was discovered, the administration acted quickly to review surveillance footage and terminated Boyce’s employment. However, the video system had technical issues, delaying review by several days.
Daniel also pointed out that the school is struggling to function without its key administrators and must begin preparations for the new school year, which starts next month.
Despite these arguments, Judge Nettles upheld the current restrictions, preventing the three individuals from returning to the school or church campus. He encouraged both legal teams to continue working toward a resolution.
Both the criminal proceedings and the civil lawsuit remain active.
