St. George's School, Sex Abuse Victims Reach Agreement for Independent Investigation

MIDDLETOWN, RI—An alumni group of sexual abuse victims who attended St. George’s School have reached an agreement with the school for an independent investigator to ”oversee a comprehensive investigation” of sexual abuse at the elite preparatory boarding school.

In a joint statement released Thursday afternoon, members of SGS for Healing and St. George’s School said “This investigation will not be limited in scope or time period and will be conducted in a manner sensitive to victims who may have already provided information.”

SGS Board Chair Leslie Heaney said “The Board is committed to a truly impartial investigation. There is nothing more important to us than that the review be thorough and exhaustive, and that its findings are found to be reliable and credible by all parties, particularly the victims.”

Anne Scott, from the SGS class of 1980 said, “today’s decision is a very important first step in what we hope will be a process of reconciliation and healing. We look forward to the input of all alumni/victims on today’s developments and the new investigation.”

On Tuesday, three victims who were sexually abused by now-deceased former athletic director Al Gibbs in the 1970s and 80s called for the independent investigation at a press conference in the Boston office of their lawyers, one of whom attended St. George’s himself. They also want the school to establish a fund to cover victims therapy and counseling.

Scott and other victims were dissatisfied with the school’s internal investigation released two days before Christmas that identified about two dozen victims and along with Gibbs, referred to several former staff members and at least two students as alleged perpetrators.

That investigation was conducted after pressure from Scott and the lawyers representing victims and failed to acknowledge the fact that multiple reports of assault were made by numerous students over the years but police were never contacted.

Since Scott went public and told her story to The Boston Globe, which broke the story, more than 40 people have come forward with similar stories of being raped and molested, some at the hand of Gibbs, others from a former musical director, a former chaplain and fellow students.

This story is being updated.