In Middletown, St. George’s boarding school has announced a settlement with up to 30 former students, who allege they were sexually abused.
The agreement provides an unspecified amount of financial compensation but does not restrict the former students from discussing their experiences.
Anne Scott, a former student who helped lead the charge for the school to confront the abuse, praised St. George’s for the settlement.
"It's hard to put into words what it feels like to receive this kind of validation and support, after all these years," Scott wrote in a join statement released by St. George's officials. "Our spirits are renewed on our forward healing journey.”
Attorney Eric MacLeish, representing the abuse survivors, also had kind words for school officials for their cooperation.
"I think that the Board of Trustees for St. Georges has really done a tremendous job for survivors in agreeing to these terms," MacLeish said, reached by phone after the agreement was announced.
MacLeish said that there was no gag order as part of the settlement, but that the parties all agreed not to reveal the amount of financial compensation involved. "There was really a mutual understanding that it would be better if we not talk about this," he said.
St. George's Board Chair Lesley Heaney said she hoped the settlement would help survivors and the school to move forward, adding "we look forward to continuing to work with our survivor community so that the lessons learned can ensure the safety of our current and future generations of St. George's students.”
An independent investigation into the allegations of abuse, which involve as many as seven current and former faculty and several former students, has been ongoing. Attorney MacLeish tells RIPR he expects the results to come out sometime this month.
A State Police investigation of St. George's resulted in no criminal charges. In announcing the decision, State Police and the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office cited statutes of limitations that existed in the 1970s and 80s, when much of the alleged abuse occurred.
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