UNITED STATES
Philly.com
JUNE 10, 2016
By Thomas G. Plante
The Boston Globe Spotlight team that reported on the clergy abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in 2002, and whose efforts were highlighted in an Academy Award-winning movie, recently uncovered widespread sexual abuse perpetrated by teachers and other employees against children under their charge at many of the nation’s elite private schools.
According to the Globe’s recent report, 67 private schools, including Phillips Exeter, Deerfield, Taft, Thayer, and, most famously, St. George’s School, had more than 200 sexual abuse victims and 90 family lawsuits over sexual victimization during the past 25 years. Their data is based on responses from more than 200 schools at a 10 percent rate, so we are left wondering what the other 90 percent might be hiding.
When these crimes came to light, the perpetrators often were protected and transferred to other schools, and efforts were made by administrators to silence and intimidate victims and to protect the image and reputation of these prestigious educational institutions. Sound familiar?
A quick review of the news last month:
In Western Pennsylvania, a grand jury found “systematic failures” to protect students from several teachers in the Plum School District. The teachers, news articles stated, engaged in both sexual abuse and witness intimidation. Sadly, only so much can be done to the perpetrators due to the statute of limitations.
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