The Thacher School is one of the most elite private schools in California charging $64,700 a year as fees. In a shocking disclosure, the school acknowledged decades of allegations related to student sexual misconduct, workplace harassment and “boundary crossing” by faculty members.
The school acknowledged the allegations and posted a complied report stating the incidents ranging from the alleged rape, groping, unwanted touching and more at the institute dating back 40 years. The 90-page document named six alleged perpetrators and recounted the accusations of their misconduct in the report. The report also spoke about the alleged efforts by a few of the former school administrators to cover up the accusations and blame the poor students.
The most serious incident mentioned an alumna of the 1980s who accused her English teacher of repeatedly raping her. She was abused by the teacher from the age of 16. When the teenager complained, the school did not call the police but sent a male assistant headmaster to inquire.
He reportedly asked the victim if she enjoyed the sex. In the later years, the school counselor also included the incident and involvement with the teacher in the letter of recommendation for college admission.
In August, the trustees of the school had hired a legal firm to conduct an investigation into the allegations after an alumni social media campaign that included the Instagram account @rpecultureatthacher went viral. The account description stated that it is “a safe space” for those victimized at the Thatcher school.
The firm conducted interviews with more than 120 former students, parents, and current and former faculty and staff as part of their investigations. The Ventura County Sheriff’s office stated that they have not charged or arrested anybody yet with regards to the report.
They said that the Thacher officials had shared with them a synopsis of approximately 20 incidents mentioning innumerable instances of alleged sexual misconduct. Though the school had not provided the detectives with the 90-page report until it was publicly released on Wednesday.
The Sheriff’s office was examining whether crimes were conducted and whether the teachers and school officials had abided by their duty in notifying the law enforcement department about suspected abuse of minors.
Even though the crimes happened around 40 years back the school could face lawsuits from former students. A California law effective from 2020 has opened a three-year window for victims to file civil cases for claims that have expired due to the statute of limitations.
The statute of limitations has also been extended for individuals reporting childhood sexual assault from the time a victim is age 26 to age 40.
Contact a California Child Abuse Lawyer for sexual misconduct
We at Khashan Law Firm can help abused children in California to get justice and due compensation. We can help file lawsuits against the concerned people and agencies that failed to protect the child or report suspected abuse.
We work on a contingency basis and don’t charge any legal fees from the victim until we win a settlement for them. If we are unable to get compensation for the victim, we still do not charge any fees.
If you or your family member has been a victim of Child abuse in the past or you know a child who is being abused, get in touch with our experienced child abuse lawyers at 951.461.2387. Our team is friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to help every child.
There is strict statute of limitations for filing lawsuits so you mustn’t delay and miss a deadline. Contact us today.