An Open Letter to Head of School Regarding Sexual Abuse and Cover-up at St. George's

Dear Headmaster Peterson,

Let me open this open letter by commending you for being an effective and well-liked headmaster at one of the premier boarding schools in the country. Talent and popularity, however, no matter how great, is not a shield from accountability for violations of trust and lack of integrity in your handling of repeated and recent efforts by students to seek redress for sexual abuse that occurred while attending St. Georges School prior to the lawsuit brought by Anne Scott, ‘79.

In light of what has emerged over the past days since the publishing of the Boston Globe story [https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2015/12/14/stgeorges/QBq1IfsItk6relwmPQJbRP/story.html], and what I have learned from my former classmates and St. George’s alumnae who have bravely posted online, I feel compelled to write you directly. This whole affair, obscene as it is tragic, demands real action and not carefully parsed and manicured language that reads as if it was written by the slickest of 5th Avenue PR men. That action should begin with you as the head of school.

First, I believe that it’s incumbent on you to strip the Tony Zane plaque off the girls dorm where it was mounted. This should be done Immediately to demonstrate that you are serious about addressing the gross wrongs and harm the school has inflicted on the victims of sexual molestation and abuse.

Second, you concede to the demands of the three victims who have put their name to the current petition circulating on the web, which has accrued nearly 500 signatures as of today.
https://www.change.org/p/st-george-s-school-our-immediate-requests-of-st-george-s-school

Third, you commission an independent firm to produce a national conference on sexual abuse, hosted at the school in the Summer of 2016.

Finally, in light of your mishandling of more recent cases of sexual abuse at the school, and attempts at redress, and your hiring a lawyer with clear conflict of interest, you should submit your resignation. It’s time for the school to clean house and you should show the courage to begin that process by removing yourself. If you feel that fault lies with the Board of Trustees, and that case can be clearly made, then let the housecleaning begin there.

Only with prompt, serious, and no-nonsense direct action beginning with you can the way be made clear to justice and accountability. We are counting on you to be accountable, to the victims of abuse at St. Georges, to yourself, to the mission of the school and its community, and to future victims of sexual abuse you save or protect by aggressive and forthright action now.

http://reelgirl.com/2015/12/st-georges-school-continues-to-flub-investigation-into-sexual-assaults/

Kyle F Hence