Another prep school finds sex abuse in its past

The Pomfret School in Connecticut has revealed that several of its teachers engaged in improper conduct with students between the 1970s and 2000s, adding its name to a list of elite boarding schools now reckoning with past sexual misconduct by educators.

Pomfret Head of School J. Timothy Richards and board of trustees Chairman Justin P. Klein sent a letter Monday to the school community detailing the results of an independent investigation into the misconduct.

The letter said the investigation found four teachers “more likely than not” engaged in sexual misconduct. One case happened in the early 1970s, one in the 1980s, one spanned the 1980s to early 1990s and the fourth happened after 2000.

The letter said investigators also received nine other reports involving allegations ranging from boundary violations to sexual misconduct.

“In most of these instances, the investigators found the reports credible, but found that there was insufficient information to complete the investigation or were unable to make a finding by a preponderance of the evidence or concluded that the allegation was unsubstantiated,” the letter said.

The school did not identify the teachers, but it said some received positive recommendations when they left and some are still working with students.

“The school regrets that these letters of support were written for adults who had clearly violated core community standards of behavior,” Richards and Klein wrote.