RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal
Posted Jan. 10, 2016
Evidence of serious crimes at St. George’s School, an elite private Episcopalian boarding school in Middletown, has come to light — after the school despicably left families, students and the public in the dark for decades. The full truth must come out, and school officials and advisers must accept full responsibility for their role.
Early last year, St. George’s began its own investigation into accusations of systematic sexual assault at the school during the 1970s and ’80s, a time when such matters were far more likely to be kept quiet. In a Dec. 23 report to alumni, Headmaster Eric Peterson and board chair Leslie Heaney apologized for sexual abuse by several former staff and students.
“The School underscores its regret, sorrow and shame that students in our care were hurt,” the two wrote in the 11-page report. “We commit ourselves to taking responsibility; to healing those wounds, and to making every effort to mend the fabric of the St. George’s community.”
Those are welcome words, but there are still grim questions to be answered.
The investigation, basing its finding on “credible first-hand accounts,” identified 26 victims of abuse by staff, 23 of them by three employees. Lawyers for the victims say the number is even higher — that more than 40 victims have come forward in the two weeks since the news came out. The school’s former legal counsel — Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice William Robinson — was also involved in putting pressure on a teen who complained of wronging, one victim and her lawyer charged.
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