Former Rocky Hill School Faculty Member Accused of Rape

EAST GREENWICH, RI—Three former students at Rocky Hill School have accused a former faculty member of "sexual impropriety" including one student who said they were raped in the late 1970s, according to school officials.

The school community was notified on Monday in a letter outlining the allegations, which were brought forth by the victims after the school asked the school community in a July letter to share any concerns about past sexual misconduct.

That letter was sent in response to shattering revelations unfolding at the elite St. George's School in Middletown where more than 60 former students were sexually abused by a former coach, a music director and other students in the 1970s and 1980s.

In Wednesday's letter, Head of School James Tracy and Edwin J. Santos, president of the Board of Trustees, said that three alumnae responded and said the former faculty member committed acts of sexual impropriety while they were between the ages of 16 and 18 and "did not report the incident at the time or any time before now," the letter stated.

That faculty member no longer works at the school and the Warwick Police Department was contacted immediately after the allegations, the letter stated, and the faculty member has been told to have no further contact with the school.

The school has hired the law firm Nixon Peabody LLP to "guide our comprehensive student safety and sexual misconduct policy review," the letter stated. The letter underscored the fact the incidents occurred decades ago by a faculty member no longer employed by the school and was informed of the prohibition "on the same day the allegation of rape was made."

The school is offering community members time to meet and answer questions and outline the "protocols in place to provide the highest level of protection for our students against sexual violence."

"We understand that these allegations will be met by you with the same degree of shock and concern with which they were met by us," the letter stated.

In a statement, Tracy said that Rocky Hill sought to be proactive as private schools across the country reckon with decades-old and often buried scars from sexual abuse.

"No school or institution of any kind, unfortunately, can be certain that such abuse has never transpired across decades of history," he said. "Rocky Hill School is working closely with law enforcement and has launched its own internal investigation of the allegation. . . we applaud the three alumnae who had the courage to come forward and have again urged any other alumnae or current students who whish to report allegations of sexual misconduct to do so."

Photo: Patch file photo.