SAN JOSE (CA)
The Mercury News
February 20, 2018
By John Woolfolk
A prominent San Jose Catholic girls high school, rocked by accusations that it failed for years to report sexual misconduct complaints against teachers and staff, announced Tuesday it will create a new independent office to handle such claims from students in the future.
The announcement came after Presentation High School officials spent months insisting they’ve had sound policies in place for protecting students from sexual harassment or abuse and properly handled complaints brought to their attention.
“We are committed to being proactive, forward-thinking and the gold standard for student safety in the prevention of sexual misconduct, abuse, harassment and bullying,” Principal Mary Miller said in a statement Tuesday.
The new Office for the Prevention of Student Bullying, Harassment and Abuse will report directly to Presentation’s board of directors, Miller said.
But Robert Allard, an attorney representing former students who complained of abuse, called the move “lipstick on a pig” that “will change nothing.” The current principal, Miller, accused by several former students of improperly handling their complaints, influences who sits on the board, Allard said. A former principal, Marian Stuckey, also accused of mishandling complaints, is a board member, he said. And the board isn’t qualified to deal with abuse allegations, he added.
“As long as Mary Miller and Marian Stuckey have control of the school and the board, student safety will always be at risk,” Allard said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.