MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Thursday, Feb. 5
Statement by Frank Meuers of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 952-334-5180, frankameuers@gmail.com )
The head of an Episcopal school in Faribault should be fired. So too should any other school board or staff who helped conceal the crimes of a now-convicted teacher.
Let’s be charitable. Let’s assume that lawyers for Shattuck-St. Mary’s school were right. Let’s assume that school president Nick Stoneman had no legal duty to report the pornography on Lynn Seibel’s computer.
Obviously, Stoneman should have called police anyway. But he refused. So more kids were likely hurt.
We’re glad Seibel in now prison. We hope that someday Stoneman will be too. Morally, there’s little difference between those who commit and those who conceal child sex crimes.
And we’re both sad and worried that Minnesota and Rhode Island kids were put in harm’s way by callous, selfish Episcopal school staffers.
Court documents paint a disturbing picture of how Episcopal officials shielded Lynn Seibel.
Minnesota Public Radio reports that Stoneman “agreed to pay a teacher who had child pornography on his work computer $12,500 as part of a confidential separation agreement in 2003,” “didn’t report the illegal images to police,” and “agreed to pay for temporary health insurance for the teacher, provide free tuition for his son and keep the reason for the resignation secret.”
After leaving Minnesota, Seibel’s resume says he worked at the Community College of Rhode Island (starting in 2010), founded the Lancaster Actors Studio in Providence (2009), directed acting at the International Talent Showcase in Providence (from 2005-2009), was an acting instructor at the Rhode Island Modeling Agency in East Providence (from 2005-2009) and was in marketing and sales at Trinity Repertory Theatre in Providence (2005-2008). http://www.lynnseibel.com/media/LynnSeibelProfessionalResume.pdf
That’s a lot of time to be around – and potentially assault – a lot of kids. And if Seibel hurt even one, the blame falls squarely on every single board and staff member at Shattuck-St. Mary’s who knew of or suspected his crimes but selfishly kept silent.
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