OKLAHOMA CITY (OK)
The Oklahoman [Oklahoma City OK]
March 3, 2022
By Josh Dulaney
A top administrator and a counselor at Mount St. Mary Catholic High School have resigned after an independent investigation into allegations of sexual assault among students, The Oklahoman has learned.
Vice Principal Whitney Faires and school counselor Mallory Tecmire have each resigned.
In a letter to parents and students obtained by The Oklahoman, interim Principal Diane Floyd said she accepted the resignations March 1.
“We expect all school administrators, faculty and staff at The Mount to follow the Safe Environment protocol and school policy to appropriately report suspected abuse or harassment of minors,” Floyd wrote in her letter. “Now that the review is concluded, we are moving forward with our focus on the Voices of Human Dignity Task Force to ensure our words, actions and policies reflect our mission and Catholic social teachings.”
The resignations followed a months-long independent investigation by Mount St. Mary, after several former and current female students said they had been sexually assaulted and sexually harassed by boys at the school.
The investigation opened in October after several alleged victims submitted letters to the Board of Trustees.
On Dec. 29, former Principal Talita DeNegri resigned after 19 years in the position.
After her resignation, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City issued a public statement saying DeNegri “resigned after an independent investigation revealed The Mount administrative leadership failed to take action in response to reported allegations of sexual harassment and assault by students against other students.”
The resignations of Faires and Tecmire came in the wake of some in the school community demanding more transparency from Mount St. Mary, with specific questions as to how many administrators knew of the sexual assault allegations, for how long, and whether the allegations were reported to authorities.
“Over the past several weeks, Mount St. Mary leadership including the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, and the Board of Trustees and I have continued the important work of reviewing the information we received from the independent investigator,” Floyd wrote. “That review is now complete.”