3 Kinkaid School Faculty Sexually Abused Students: Report

HOUSTON — An investigation launched in May 2018 at Houston’s prestigious Kinkaid School uncovered acts of sexual abuse involving faculty members victimizing students over the span of five decades, according to school officials.

On Thursday, officials at Kinkaid announce the findings of its independent investigation in a letter. According to the letter, three faculty members sexually abused at least 15 students, and that the abuse dated back to the 1960s.

T&M Protective Services, which was retained by the Kinkaid board last year, interviewed nearly 60 former students, as well as current and former faculty members as part of their investigations.

"T&M did not initiate contact with any former students who others identified in the investigation as survivors of sexual misconduct, out of respect for their privacy. Thus, firsthand reports of misconduct were limited to those who themselves chose to contact the investigators," the letter read in part.

School officials said the investigation revealed that during the 1960s and 70s, a faculty member inappropriately touched eight students who were between 10- and 13-years-old.

READ ALSO: Sexual Misconduct At Kinkaid: A Decades-Long Secret

According to the report, a second faculty member in the 1980s and the early 90s allegedly committed acts of attempted sexual assault, sexual misconduct, inappropriate touching, and soliciting students for sexual favors. These allegations involved students between 14- and 17-years-old, according to school officials.

In the 1990s, a third faculty member allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old student, according to the report.

Last year, Kinkaid sent a letter home to parents that spelled out the details of their investigation.

"Over the course of the last several months, we were made aware of a concern regarding sexual misconduct by a teacher toward students that took place several decades ago," the letter said in part.

After finding flaws in how these issues may have been handled in the past, Kinkaid’s Board of Trustees appointed a committee to work with a law firm for guidance, and T&M Protective Services to examine student alumni concerns.

The committee, which was only investigating allegations against one former faculty member at the time, learned that at least three others may have engaged in sexual misconduct while on staff.
Kinkaid officials said in their statement that only one of those former faculty members was immediately terminated by Kinkaid when the allegations surfaced at the time.

The Kinkaid School has reported T&M's findings concerning each of the faculty members to the proper state and local authorities.

"We are deeply disappointed by the School's failure at times in its past to provide a safe and secure environment, and we offer our most sincere apologies to those students who suffered as a result. We affirm our deep gratitude to the survivors and witnesses who came forward, and we pledge our continued commitment to students, parents, faculty and staff, and alumni to promote educational excellence, personal responsibility and a safe and respectful learning environment," the statement concluded.

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