St. Paul's School Releases New Accounts of Sexual Misconduct

New Hampshire Public Radio
November 1, 2017

http://nhpr.org/post/st-pauls-school-releases-new-accounts-sexual-misconduct#stream/0

St. Paul’s School in Concord has notified parents and the wider community that there have been new accounts of sexual misconduct at the school.

The accounts are published in a supplemental report, released by the school Wednesday, by the law firm Casner and Edwards. St. Paul engaged the firm to investigate past sexual abuse and misconduct by faculty and staff. The results of the initial investigation were released in May.

Since then, the law firm says it has interviewed 43 people – including current and former faculty and former students -- many of whom said they were inspired to come forward after reading the first report. They told stories of abuse by St. Paul teachers taking place over a span 53 years, with one incident as recent as 2009.

In its letter addressed to "St. Paul's School Community" and dated Wednesday, St. Paul’s Rector Michael Hirschfeld and Board of Trustees President Archibald Cox Jr. vow the school will take this as an opportunity for learning and institutional improvement.

"The experiences described in this and the previous reports are profoundly disturbing and shine light on a part of our history that is painful to see and hear," the letter reads. "However, this history must be confronted directly in order to heal. The survivors of sexual abuse, and our entire community deserve no less."

In July, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office announced it was conducting a criminal investigation into St. Paul’s handling of past allegations of sexual misconduct by faculty and staff.