Exgay activist and parent Anthony Falzarano says he sensed trouble at a Florida Christian school with a 29-year-old teacher now accused of unlawful sexual activity with a 16-year-old.

According to the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida, in March 2005 Falzarano removed his 17-year-old son Carter from the school “because of a disagreement with administrators and concerns about [teacher Chad] Stoffel.”

Falzarano founded Parents and Friends of Exgays (PFOX) in the 1990s but was ousted when he accused the religious right of exploiting the exgay movement while providing little financial assistance. He subsequently co-founded Parents and Friends Christian Ministries.

The Sun-Sentinel reports:

At a meeting of parents Tuesday morning in the gym of the school, west of West Palm Beach, security and school officials forced Falzarano to leave after he confronted Headmaster Sam Skelton about Stoffel and the circumstances surrounding the teacher’s sudden resignation in December after 5 1/2 years.

After the hourlong session, the administration told reporters, “We have and will continue to take all reasonable steps to protect our students and families in a safe and nurturing environment.”

The Sun-Sentinel provides some background on Falzarano’s involvement in the case:

“I just knew he was spending too much time with the boys,” said Falzarano, a self-described “former homosexual” from Palm Beach. “I felt very uncomfortable with him.”

He says he knows the warning signs due to his experience as executive director of the group Parents and Friends Christian Ministries, part of the so-called national “ex-gay” movement that says it can help turn gay people straight.

Shortly after the resignation, Stoffel apparently made his way to Love In Action, the nation’s leading exgay live-in therapy program, located in Memphis, Tenn. Utilizing a largely unaccredited staff, LIA claims to treat “sexual addiction” and “sexual abuse” in adults through a pricey live-in program — while also offering pricey, weeks-long, all-day live-in counseling to youths.

Once at LIA, Stoffel allegedly confessed to a counselor.

Sheriff’s investigators initially met with Stoffel on Feb. 9, when he was undergoing counseling at Love In Action International Inc., a Memphis-based ministry dedicated to rooting out homosexual behavior. It was at the ministry that Stoffel confessed to a counselor, who contacted the Sheriff’s Office, according to reports.

He was arrested Saturday.

Free on bail, Stoffel is charged with unlawful sexual activity with minors and battery of a child, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

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