Justice Law Collaborative Seeks Justice for Survivors of Boarding School Abuse
C.J. Cuneo, Associate Attorney at Justice Law Collaborative, LLC
Media stories about the culture of abuse and sexual assault at boarding schools across the country have become tragically common recently. Tuition at these institutions can cost upwards of $70,000 a year. They hold themselves out as elite institutions established to educate the future leaders of America, but their ivy covered walls are often hiding a culture of abuse; one where the school’s reputation is valued over the physical and emotional well being of the students for whom they have been entrusted to care.
Paris Hilton has become a vocal advocate against the culture of abuse at elite boarding schools, sharing her own experience of the physical and emotional abuse she sustained during her time at the Provo Canyon School in Utah, and the lifelong trauma she suffered as a result. In recent years a wave of allegations has come through regarding this culture, with victims of abuse at schools such as Choate Rosemary Hall, Saint Paul’s, Milton Academy, and Georgetown Prep finally breaking the code of silence to shed light on what goes on at these institutions.
The allegations address a variety of issues such as cultures of bullying and elitism, instances teachers raping students, and students raping students but still being allowed to remain at school and graduate, among others. The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team found that more than 110 private schools in New England had grappled with allegations of sexual abuse over the past 25 years, and another independent report by the Saint Paul’s School, in New Hampshire exposed decades of allegations of sexual misconduct.
Physical and sexual abuse of students at educational institutions, including boarding and prep schools, is a recognized and foreseeable risk to which these schools have an obligation to proactively protect their students. When these schools solicit parents to entrust them with their children, they act in loco parentis, assuming the role of guardian of the students entrusted to their care. Boarding schools can be liable if they do not adequately screen candidates prior to hiring them or fail to adequately supervise them once they are hired. They can also be liable for their actions or inactions following allegations of abuse, as well as for failing to implement and enforce safeguards to prevent abuse by school employees, staff members, volunteers and student peers.
The abuse students are subjected to at the nation’s elite boarding schools may take many different forms. The culture of elitism, competitiveness, and silence fostered by these institutions has allowed for decades of students entrusted to their care to suffer horrific instances of:
Hazing
Bullying and Cyberbullying
Unnecessary and Embarrassing Punishments
Physical Abuse
Emotional Abuse
Sexual Abuse and grooming
Failure by the School to Report Abuse, Mistreatment, and Serious Mental Health Issues
Retaliation for Reporting Abuse or Assault
Now is the time to stand up against this egregious misconduct and no longer allow it to be swept under the rug while these institutions rake tens of millions of dollars in each year off of unassuming and unprotected students and their families. We at the Justice Law Collaborative know the strength it takes to come forward and speak your truth, and we take a trauma-informed approach to representing and supporting all of our clients.
JOIN JUSTICE LAW COLLABORATIVE, LLC IN OUR EFFORT TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE.
The Justice Law Collaborative, LLC (JLC) has been fighting for justice for survivors of horrible physical, emotional, and sexual abuse for years, obtaining multi-million dollar settlements and significant change to policies, processes and procedures to ensure the abuse ends. Among the boarding schools currently being pursued by JLC are Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, a boarding school in Vermont, and the Putney School, in Putney, Vermont. If you attended the Putney School, or any boarding school, and would like to speak with someone regarding your experience, please call our office at 508-230-2700 or email us at survivorsupport@justicelc.com. We would be proud to represent you with the experience, compassion, dedication and that you deserve.