NEW: Moses Brown Issues Letter to Community After 5 Former Employees Linked to Sexual Abuse
Tuesday, February 04, 2020
Moses Brown Head of School Matt Glendinning issued a letter to the community after five faculty members have been linked to sexual abuse following an investigation that was launched in January of 2019.
“While no allegations of sexual misconduct were made against anyone currently working at the school, the investigation verified portions of the original complaint and corroborated allegations of misconduct against four other former employees. The most recent was terminated nearly 20 years ago when the school became aware of the situation,” writes Glendinning.
Incidents of sexual abuse have also been tied to The Wheeler School, St. Georges, and Portsmouth Abbey to name a few in Rhode Island.
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The Investigation
The investigation was conducted by T&M Protection Resources and found reports of sexual misconduct that took place between the 1950s and early 2000s.
Read the Investigation Results in the Slideshow Below
Of the five accused employees, only Basil Meserve’s name has been released.
He is accused of sexual misconduct with approximately nine Moses Brown students.
Meserve has since passed away.
Along with Meserve, the report says that former employee A allegedly “engaged in sexual misconduct inappropriate physical touching and other boundary-crossing behavior with at least three Moses Brown students between ages 13 and 17.”
Former employee B, "engaged in sexual misconduct with a Moses Brown student for several years from the time the student was 16 years old until after the student's graduation from the school,” during the 1970s and 1980s.
Former employee C "engaged in sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old Moses Brown student on one occasion in the 1970s."
Lastly, former employee D "engaged in sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old Moses Brown student in the 1980s. The former student did not report the misconduct to anyone at the school."
Read the Letter Below
Dear Moses Brown Community,
As you may be aware, in January 2019, the school launched an investigation into allegations of employee sexual misconduct in response to a report by an alumnus from the 1960s. That investigation is now complete, and I am writing to share its findings by means of a letter linked below.
The letter is difficult to read. While no allegations of sexual misconduct were made against anyone currently working at the school, the investigation verified portions of the original complaint and corroborated allegations of misconduct against four other former employees. The most recent was terminated nearly 20 years ago when the school became aware of the situation.
As Moses Brown’s current Head of School, I am deeply sorry for the harm that was done to children under our care, and I am appalled that, at several points in our past, some members of this community failed in their most basic duty to keep students safe. On behalf of the school, I want to apologize to all those who were impacted by employee misconduct and thank them for their courage in coming forward.
As a Friends school committed to seeking the truth and caring for those who have suffered wrong, we have an obligation to publish these findings, take responsibility for the harm that was done, and make certain that we are doing everything possible to keep our students safe.
Our primary concern right now is to care for survivors and support current students, parents, faculty, and staff. In the coming days, division heads and advisors will be speaking about the report—in general, and age-appropriate ways—with middle and upper school students. We will remind everyone about the safety measures in place at MB and make sure students know what to do if they ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe with an employee or other adults. We have reached out to survivors to offer support. And we are asking everyone in the community to help us protect survivors’ privacy by refraining from speculation about the identity of those mentioned in the letter.
We remain committed to hearing, investigating, and addressing all claims of sexual misconduct. Those who wish to come forward at any time may reach out to the investigators at [email protected] or (646) 445-7707.
If, after reading the letter, you have questions or concerns, please reach out to me. We want to make sure we are fully supporting you and the broader MB community in the days ahead.
I appreciate your support as we come to terms with some inexcusable behavior from our past and recommit ourselves to protecting the safety, dignity and worth of each child in our care.
Matt Glendinning
Head of School
Related Slideshow: Moses Brown Letter From Head of School on Sex Abuse Investigation - February 2020
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