Montco School Addresses Lawsuit Claiming Child Was Sexually Abused

PENNSBURG, PA — The Montgomery County private school accused in a lawsuit of failing to properly respond following the sexual abuse of a child on campus acknowledged the case but did not respond to the allegations in a letter sent to the school community late Monday.

The lawsuit names both Perkiomen School, a private school with yearly tuition of $75,900 for boarding students and $43,100 for day students, and the head of school, Mark A. Devey.

See original story: 7-Year-Old Sexually Abused By Older Boy At Perkiomen School: Lawsuit

The victim is a 7-year-old child of a faculty member, and the suspect is a 12-year-old boy, according to the lawsuit.

The school's response Tuesday did not address any of the claims in the suit.

"Today, we became aware of media reports that a family filed a lawsuit against Perkiomen School and me as Head of School," Devey wrote in the letter to the school community. "While the complaint has not yet been served, the reports indicate the lawsuit makes claims about alleged interactions occurring on the school’s campus last winter between non-students that, upon learning, we/the school reported to the authorities, consistent with our mandated reporter requirements."

"Due to the sensitivity of the matters involved and our duty to protect the privacy of minors, it would be inappropriate to provide additional details or comment further at this time," the letter added.

When contacted by Patch, a spokesperson for the school referred to the letter and did not provide further response.

The faculty member's wife, the mother of the victim, first witnessed an incident on Feb. 3, 2024, the suit states.

The woman, noted in the lawsuit as Jane Doe to protect her identity, witnessed a 12-year-old boy with her son in one of the school's equipment rooms, the suit states. The 12-year-old had an erection and was pulling up the 7-year-old's pants, according to the suit.

The child then told his mother that the 12-year-old had sexually abused him in multiple locations across the campus, the suit adds.

Jane Doe reported the allegations to Perkiomen School immediately, but said her family did not hear anything back for two months. During this time, the suspect was allowed to "roam freely" near the campus, despite the school telling the victim's family he would not be allowed to do so, the suit states.

Attorneys say that it was only after the Perkiomen School's basketball team won a championship game that Devey suddenly released a statement to the entire school about the incidents. They said Devey did not consult with the victim's family before he sent out the email.
The lawsuit dug into Devey's past, and cites claims of mishandling sexual abuse in his past positions, as well.

“Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that such a heinous act would occur under Mark Devey’s watch,” Stark & Stark attorney Jill Roth told Patch. “Our complaint includes allegations of sexual abuse at a Connecticut boarding school while Devey was the head of school there, as well as allegations that he has ignored, downplayed, mishandled, and coveredup allegations of sexual abuse of minors at Perkiomen throughout his tenure at the school, including reported sexual assaults of at least two female students by a male student-athlete.”

The complaint was filed in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas on Monday. The full lawsuit can be viewed online here.

Perkiomen School is located in Pennsburg.