@libaya I want you to know that I see this as more than just a Choate issue. I feel a bit nervous about Bs in general today. I think it makes us all question whether our kids are going to be influenced by folks who don’t have their best interest at heart.
Please don’t take offense to things we are saying. I think it’s great that we are all discussing it and talking to our kids about it.
i would like to know how Andover is responding to the Choate news/ Boston Globe investigations as well.
@bc12345 I wasn’t taking offense. No worries. I have read your posts and I think you have helpful advice or questions you are planning to ask Andover.
I’d like to know how the schools are handling it. I mentioned Snapchat because I think the kids on campus (not just Choate) might get to have a say on how it’s handled because of their power through social media.
Choate is gonna be a wicked toxic environment for the pervs/creepsters/predators for quite a while now. Which was the idea. With that report, Choate burned down a couple of beloved institutions with recognizable names and salted the earth as a warning to the next generations that some foul deeds come with a very high price even if you never see the inside of a court room.
@bc12345 According to Boston Globe, there’s an ongoing independent investigation going on for Andover with the focus on incidents that happened in 1970s and 1980s. Stay tuned for what will come out from that investigation.
Just a technical observation - this is a prep school forum, not a boarding school forum. People talk about private day schools too.
And even in a BS forum there are likely folks who are considering BS but have not made a decision about it being right or wrong for their family.
I just saw the snapchat thing. Basically Snapchat has a program where different companies (Cosmopolitan, CNN, The Economist, Daily Mail, to name a few) have daily articles/news stories/ whatevers for people to read. These daily sets are usually ~20 slides. It’s like going through a. Keynote kinda. One of the news companies, titled “Now This” wrote an article. It was really brief - less than 150 words. It outlines the Costa Rica trip incident, along with the 12 faculty, and how Choate covered up things in the past.
Love me some blanket statements. No, you’ve not eliminated risk, that’s a false sense of security. There is sufficient evidence for abuse in public schools, on sports teams, in non-Catholic religious institutions and sects, and within immediate and extended family. Educate your child, know your child, maintain communication, and make sure there are multiple mechanisms in place for your child to signal if something is not right, even anonymously.
I wouldn’t take all comments as specific to your situation, @libaya . CC threads very off as the discussion warrants.
This is an important discussion to have - for all schools. The Choate report is just the catalyst for the discussion. Hopefully, part of that discussion will include folks reporting in on the post-report environment and procedures at Choate as @itcannotbetrue has done.
Any awareness of this issue for families across ALL schools is important. It isn’t a Choate only issue as has been stated before. The more discussion that takes place around such incidents - here, with our kids, in our families, in school community - the healthier it will be and the odds of ensuring it won’t happen again will rise IMO.
No reason to panic or second guess decision or even get upset with the range of opinions expressed here. Just have eyes wide open, have open dialogue with your kids and arm them with the knowledge and guidance needed to navigate all aspects of living a more independent life in BS.
If folks have questions that can’t be answered here or any reservations or concerns regardless of the school, please make sure you are reaching out to the schools directly to get information and answers. That is well within your right to do so. I promise you won’t be the first parent contact they receive.
I also sure hope that snapchat and social media is not a driving force here. These are important, serious issues that deserve merit of their own volition, not because of snapchat. I’m sure Choate doesn’t need snapchat to let them know that policies are needed and it is garnering much attention. I have confidence that Choate’s administration is on top of rolling out new policies and procedures in conjunction with the report.
In light of this discussion, how comfortable are you with dorm bedroom doors that don’t lock? I was surprised at how many of the schools we looked at use keycards that allow access to every dorm yet don’t allow kids to lock their doors…
(my apologies if this is the wrong place for this question.)
I remember too being surprised that rooms don’t lock. I understand it’s for safety, as counterintuitive as it may sound. Having considered that, I think I’m more comfortable with doors that don’t lock than with doors that do. What good happens behind locked doors anyway, especially when you’re a teen?
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It’s not that it’s the wrong section; it’s that it is hijacking/derailing the thread. This is better as a new discussion.
@bc12345 Here is the link to the relevant page on PA’s website; be sure to read the various community emails that were sent out:
Is the investigation discussed in palfrey’ s messages the same as the one mentioned in Boston Globe report? At least it seems they followed the rules and reported those 1970s and 1980s incidents/individuals to law enforcement.
Two of my children went to Choate in the 90s and 00s and between them knew 4 of the 12 named in the report. They were surprised that the report named names at all, and surprised too at those 4. There WAS a “scandal” about Cobbett and Lowery but the usual kind: Lowery had poached Cobbett’s wife, also an English teacher. So Cobbett taught classes in the arts building rather than humanities, so he wouldn’t have to run into his ex or her new husband. This was known by everyone at Choate at the time. All three were excellent teachers.
Neither of my kids was “hit on” by any teacher during their time at Choate. And while they are shocked at the stories in the report, they are not surprised that such things took place–other than the Costa Rica incident, which is appalling on so many levels.
My daughter has taught at 3 prep schools (4 if you include her stint at Andover summer school) and from that side of the fence she is very careful to avoid ever being alone with a student. It’s easy to meet with a student in a public place on campus, or keep the classroom or office door open.
Another news story out today @ another BS! Should we start a new thread for each school?
@Golfgr8 which school??
@Golfgr8 what school?
Emma!! It’s in the NY Post. The article focuses on reported and alleged incidents from years ago— didn’t read anything in the article about recent reports…anyone see the full article? I’m just getting portions online.
Here’s the full document:
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/documents/3673488-Emma-Willard-Final-Report-April-18.html
Thanks @doschicos for the link