40 Alumni Assert Sexual Abuse at a Rhode Island Prep School

40 Alumni Assert Animal Corruption at a Rhode Island Basic School, BOSTON — The ambit of a animal corruption aspersion at St. George’s Academy in Rhode Island widened essentially on Tuesday as attorneys arise that at atomic 40 above acceptance had fabricated aboveboard letters of animal abuse, and in some cases rape, by seven above agents associates and four acceptance over three decades.

At the aforementioned time, a agent for the school, which had fabricated accessible its own analysis backward endure month, now characterized that analysis as “preliminary” and said that it would anon name who would be accustomed the analysis forward. “The plan charcoal ongoing,” the academy said in a statement.

Lawyers for the victims said that the corruption took abode from 1974 through 2004. Four of the seven above agents associates are still alive, and in at atomic two cases arise to be alive in settings with adolescent people. None accept been answerable criminally.

Together, the school’s report, which said that agents associates sexually abused 26 acceptance in the 1970s and ’80s, and the lawyers’ letters of some 40 absolute victims, acrylic a account of absolved animal delinquency at the aristocratic basic academy in Middletown.

“The consequence and ambit of this is already abutting the better clandestine academy animal corruption case that we’ve seen, which was at Horace Mann, area 62 victims came forward,” said Eric MacLeish, a advocate who, with Carmen L. Durso, is apery some of the victims. The accusations at the Horace Mann Academy came to ablaze in 2012.

Capt. Matthew Moynihan of the Rhode Island Accompaniment Badge accepted an analysis into accusations forwarded by the academy and by the lawyers, and said the badge were auspicious anyone to appear advanced who was either a victim or a witness. The academy is an Episcopal boarding and day academy for boys and girls in grades nine through 12.

The attorneys and three of the victims said at a account appointment actuality that the school’s address presented a sanitized adaptation of animal corruption at the school, which they likened to that of the Roman Catholic Church; although some of those accused of the corruption were fired, the academy has accustomed that it did not address suspects to the authorities or active their consecutive employers.

“Sexual corruption in apprenticeship is the clergy-abuse crisis of this decade, if not this century, and you’re traveling to see added and added of it,” Mr. Durso said.

He and Mr. MacLeish predicted that added victims would appear forward, but said that just as the clergy corruption aspersion abundant over abounding years, some victims may yield a continued time reacting to contest that were advancing and in some cases life-changing.

Mr. Durso said the Massachusetts assembly was because what is frequently declared a “pass the trash” bill. It refers to schools casual on ambiguous agents to new schools afterwards advertisement problems, including those that ability put others in jeopardy. The bill would accomplish it a abomination to abort to address a complaint of animal delinquency in accessible and clandestine schools.

There is no affirmation of continuing animal delinquency at St. George’s, the attorneys said, but some of the victims are calling for Eric Peterson, the arch of school, to resign. They say he did not yield actively the complaints from some alumni who came forward.

One of the victims, Harry Groome, 52, a 1982 alum who said he was raped by addition apprentice in foreground of added students, said at the account appointment that he capital Mr. Peterson to abandon because he had been above to complaints.

“Eric Peterson has been accoutrement this up back 2004, my affair as able-bodied as others,” Mr. Groome said.

In a statement, the academy adumbrated that Mr. Peterson would not abandon and said that he had accurate a “vigorous analysis of declared animal abuse” and had approved benevolence and affinity to those who had appear forward.

In a abstracted statement, the academy apologized for the abuse done, abacus that “the way in which the academy addressed these incidents has served to admixture this harm.”

The school’s address articular alone one of the accused by name. He was Al Gibbs, an able-bodied trainer, who was accursed in 1980 afterwards assorted letters of animal agitation and at atomic one rape.

The school’s address referred to two others as “employee perpetrator #2” and “employee perpetrator #3.”

But on Tuesday, Mr. MacLeish, analogous victims’ accounts with the school’s report, articular them as the Rev. Howard White, a above abettor chaplain, who larboard the academy in 1974 afterwards letters of animal acquaintance with at atomic three boys, and Franklin Coleman, a above choir administrator accursed in 1988 afterwards accusations of sexually molesting several boys.

Mr. MacLeish said it was important to analyze them because he believes they still had admission to minors. The names were accustomed to the accompaniment police, and neither has been charged.

The school’s analysis said that Tony Zane, afresh the arch of school, confronted Mr. White, whom it declared “employee perpetrator #2,” and that he “admitted to the misconduct” and abruptly larboard in 1974.

Another student, William MacNamara, told the attorneys that Mr. White had afresh confused and raped him.

Reached on Tuesday at his home in Bedford, Pa., Mr. White said: “I don’t accept any response. It’s account to me.” Asked if he had been accursed because of accusations of animal misconduct, he said, “That isn’t absolutely true.”

Asked afresh if he had faced accusations of animal improprieties, he said, “I’m not adage anything.”

The school’s analysis of Mr. Coleman, whom it declared “employee perpetrator #3,” said he had been accursed afterwards reportedly agreeable in animal delinquency with at atomic three students, including dark them.

Mr. Coleman was met Tuesday by a anchorman in Newark as he larboard his home. He afresh answered “no comment” if asked about the accusations. Asked if he had abused acceptance at the academy or if he denied the accusations, he said, “No comment.”

Asked accurately about accusations fabricated by a above student, Hawk Cramer, he said, “Talk to my lawyer.” He did not accommodate the lawyer’s name.
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