CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — An elite New Hampshire prep school that was hit with multiple sexual misconduct allegations spanning decades announced Wednesday that it will be starting a therapy fund for abused alumni.
In a statement, Concord’s St. Paul’s School confirmed they’re establishing an independent therapy fund for abused alumni, and will also be rolling out a number of programs to “support survivors of abuse.”
Phillips Exeter Academy also faced similar allegations of sexual abuse in recent years, and it now provides up to $10,000 for counseling to alumni who were sexually abused by a school employee or another student. New Hampshire Public Radio reports that St. George’s School in Rhode Island, Choate and Hotchkiss in Connecticut and Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts have all grappled with similar issues and set aside funds to pay for therapy for any former student who was sexually abused by a faculty member.
“We have been months in developing this program and are partnering with highly qualified, respected and knowledgeable experts,” said executive director of the St. Paul’s Alumni Association Alisa Barnard in an email to public radio. “We will be sharing details in our forthcoming announcement — within the next couple of weeks.”
St. Paul’s School requested an independent investigation in 2016 that found that more than a dozen former faculty and staff members who worked at the school between 1947 and 1999 engaged in a range of sexual misconduct. The list included former teachers, chaplains, a counselor and an admissions officer. A few were fired, but most were quietly “moved on” with letters of recommendations for their next jobs.
The investigation also found evidence the school failed to either protect students or fully investigate their complaints at the time.
St. Paul’s requested the investigation following news reports about Howard White, who was fired from St. George’s School in Rhode Island for sexual misconduct in 1974 and had previously worked at St. Paul’s.
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