Sounds like they are calling every new member of the school community? Intentionally or not, the timing of the report called for some special actions I suppose.
@panpacific no its still called statutory rape. I asked what they were doing to educate students. In the report, which I haven’t read yet, but will, husband said there were some kids who believed at the time that they were in consensual relationships but now realize that couldn’t be the case. Informed consent is relations between two students. Current choate parents chime in here. He said they sent link to current parents last fall as to what they showed the kids regarding informed consent. I said this doesn’t apply to faculty-student relations where students think they are consensual.
I’m not a school law expert but he seemed to indicate that CT does have mandatory reporting laws that came about post-2010. Schools are required to report faculty that break laws, I’m guessing. I dont know. He said to look at choate handbook which I assume for legal purposes, cite controlling law to policy and procedures? I had only looked at parietals when I skimmed the handbook. I’m concerned about the level of accountability that schools have towards students.
@itcannotbetrue He called me. I asked why he called me, given that they have 850 current students and 200 accepted students. He said he was told I was on list to call but no specific reason why. He did bring up timing of release of report a couple of times.
Are things under control? Hmmmm, I jokingly mentioned that if they had a PR agency, that their recommendation on release of timing was ill-advised.
@libaya okay… The report specifically said that “student-on-student” complaints were out of the scope of their investigation though. I guess the AO was just talking about sex education in general? The mandatory reporting law is one thing, but the common sense reporting of a crime when you know it is another, no? I do realize that it is more complicated than reporting a crime you see on the street of course. It involves the judgement calls for what’s best for the victims. I am just surprised that consistently all these incidents were handled “quietly” and suspect all has not been out of the consideration of the victims.
“Students were made aware this morning, however many students received the report/parent email that was sent out yesterday from their parents. There has been a lot of angst on campus, understandably so.”
Students should have been informed right away. If it went out yesterday, they should have been informed yesterday IMO.
I don’t think I’d use the word “commend” for this situation and Choate or for any other school who has been undertaking similar investigations. Their hand has been forced by investigations starting with the Boston Globe Spotlight team. I highly suggest going on the Boston Globe site and reading through all of it. Any actions taken by schools were in reaction to the pressure they felt. So, sure, I am happy for the transparency that is increasingly happening and I’m happy that steps will hopefully be taken that would help prevent similar things going forward and I do commend those past abuse victims for having the courage to speak out about what happened to them but I don’t “commend” the schools at all.
@nico.campbell --Thanks, that is interesting.
I hesitate to post this, but I think it sheds light on the private day and boarding school cover-ups, especially from this era. From a friend who attended a like-minded private day school in CT in the 70’s and 80’s, who also told me of the rumored abuse at his school in West Hartford. To his knowledge, no official charges have yet been brought (but then again he left the school in middle school):
The thing that the schools did when they caught the miscreant molesters was that they brought them in and informed them of the “charges” against them (by the school) and they informed the teachers that they would be dismissed “for cause” with their personnel files containing specifics of the offenses if they did not sign an agreement with the school agreeing to keep the whole thing confidential, in return for which their personnel files reflected a voluntary departure, and they went on to other private schools. The school was worried about liability and gagged the teacher to keep it from coming out, except from the students, who took decades to publicize it.
No profit or esteemed reputation incentive in the more egalitarian public schools, but sadly in our state, 40 kids in the classroom and a lot of rote learning going on 
Public schools dont want publicity for these types of events either. And in fairness, usually both parties involved don’t want publicity or speculation about their identity.
“usually both parties involved don’t want publicity or speculation about their identity.”
And this is what has helped enable the offenders and let them get away with it for years sometimes. We, as a society, need to get over stigmatizing victims.
So many corollaries to the Catholic church’s history.
Also a big issue with youth sports and coaching. Google sexual abuse and swimming, for one example.
Educate your children and encourage an open and honest relationship with them.
@panpacific I agree with both points. That’s why I asked. Post-2010 with new administration he said things have changed and staff that had evidence against them are gone now. I know there’s a discrepancy here that some people just left recently. How they handled in the past and how they handled now he indicated is influenced by what was prevalent at the time and law. Do I agree? No. Is that a great answer that upholds the institution’s moral and ethical standards? No. but what they have in place now is satisfactory for my purposes. If I thought that my DS is in an environment where he would be endangered in any way I wouldnt send him there. I think my answer applies to me and my family. Assess for yourself what you are comfortable with. (Please see new profile pic.)
@panpacific Please look at links to other articles on Boston Globe. I haven’t had time but there was one article that addressed how terminated abusers can/could find jobs at other schools.
Manadatory reporting covers any instance of statutory rape that might happen at a school, including a relationship between an older and a younger student. It’s a standard practice and faculty and administrators shouldn’t have any confusion about it. It appears from the Choate report – which is truly sobering reading – that Choate did not follow the guidelines for reporting these incidents, apparently on advice of outside counsel.
The report itself in the preface calls for extra vigilance on this issue. And I think that is what we in the larger boarding school community need right now.
One of the reasons Exeter has been open to much criticism in the past few years is their lack of following mandatory reporting rules. All personnel should be trained in and follow through on these legal requirements.
So it’s not that mandatory reporting started in 2010 as I inferred from what @libaya described her conversation with the AO, but rather they didn’t follow the rule before 2010? That explains.
And I did read that Choate provided recommendation for at least one faculty member they let go so he could land a teaching job in another school. They should never be allowed to be even close to minors.
It is disgraceful that a boarding school, which is supposedly acting in loco parentis, will sweep sexual abuse under the rug for years. To applaud Choate for coming clean after so many years is suspect–I guess some parents will do anything for prestige.
That’s correct @panpacific; the law dates from 1965. The details are on p. 6 & 45 of the report.
There are many laws in CT that are in place to protect boarding schools…conversations can’t be recorded without everyone’s prior knowledge, teachers can’t be charged with intentional emotional/mental abuse, etc. Arm your kids, show them that you believe/trust them, and BS is the time you want to be closer and more supportive of your kids than ever before.
Well @janwell, every other school in America probably should come clean too. So at least Choate did. That’s more than tens of thousands of other schools have done.
@roycroftmom yes I see what you are saying. But you are talking to someone who left the Catholic Church because she never wanted her children to wonder why their parent would endanger their safety in an environment known to be rife with sexual predators, so…it’ll be hard to convince me that it’s ever ok.
I agree it is never ok. I just don’t think other environments are any safer. So unless you want to never leave your house and avoid all schools and youth activities, accepting some risk is inevitable.
@roycroftmom there are some known pockets of child sexual abuse–they are highly publicized. The Catholic Church and boarding schools are known offenders. Steer clear of them and you’ve eliminated risk.