The principal of Evangel Christian Academy criticized yesterday reports of racial tension at his private school as "totally false" and insisted that when he said "I don't have any trouble with the coloreds," he was referring not to African-Americans but to South African "coloreds," a label for mixed-race persons used by the former apartheid government.

That quote, first reported in yesterday's Sun, caused a barrage of angry phone calls to the school, administrators said. It was also decried by Derek Keenan, the vice president for academic affairs of the Association of Christian Schools International, one of the largest Christian school organizations in the world.

"When I read that comment from the principal -- the racial insensitivity is just offensive," Keenan said.

Principal E. Lamar McDaniel, who is white, said his quote was misconstrued. He said he was talking about visits to Africa when he made the statement, and said he was trying to show that his time working and living with Africans proved that he wasn't a racist.

"Some of my very dear friends are black," he said. "We have never been prejudiced."

Two former teachers at the school, John and Dawn Runk, have accused school administrators of making racist statements and said racial discrimination at the Christian academy is rampant.

The Runks are white.

Parents have removed at least seven children from the approximately 80-pupil school this year, in part, parents said, because of such allegations.

Another former teacher, Cynthia L. Lundy, said yesterday that when she worked at the school during the 2001-2002 school year she was dismayed at how administrators treated and disciplined black children and white children differently.

Lundy, who is black, was not asked to return to the school for this academic year. She said she had decided she would leave her position to home-school her three children, who had been pupils at Evangel Christian.

"I don't have any negative feelings about [the administrators]," Lundy said. "Their actions have been wrong. I can say that. I still pray for them."

But McDaniel has denied any racial prejudice at the school, and yesterday re-emphasized his claim that the controversy is the fault of John Runk and "the diabolical path" Runk has taken by accusing the school.

Runk was fired this month. His wife said she was fired as well, although the school maintains she resigned.

"There have never been any racial issues in this school," McDaniel said. "There has never been any prejudice here."

Evangel Christian Academy, which has pupils from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade, is a member of the Association of Christian Schools International but is not accredited by the organization. A school can become a member by filling out an application, Keenan said, while accreditation is a lengthy, rigorous process that includes a visit by an independent team of educators.

Although the school's Web site states that it is "in the licensing process with the Association of Christian Schools International," the organization does not have a licensing process. John Storey, the regional director of ACSI, said his organization had not started any accreditation process with Evangel Christian Academy.

Joy A. Shinn, who is white and an administrator at the school, acknowledged yesterday that the Web site information was erroneous, the fault of "whoever put that in there."

"It should say we are hoping to seek accreditation with ACSI," she said. "It is a process we have not yet begun, one we hope to begin."

Because Evangel Christian is not accredited, Keenan said, the organization has little influence with the school. The state does not regulate private Christian schools.

Storey said that the Association of Christian Schools International does not get involved with schools' day-to-day operations. Rather, the organization has counselors available to help school administrators work through difficult situations.

Keenan said the association would be willing to help any member school deal with its difficulties if asked.