Past sex abuse found at Kinkaid School
Three former staff members at the prestigious Kinkaid School likely sexually abused at least 15 students from the 1960s through the 1990s, according to an internal investigation launched by the school last year.
The alleged abusers’ names have not been released, but details of the investigation have been shared with local and state authorities, school officials said in a letter to alumni Thursday.
Allegations that several faculty members sexually abused students first surfaced in May 2018, when school officials notified parents they were launching the investigation. The original investigation focused on four faculty members. Three of the four were dismissed by the school when it was discovered that they had engaged in sexual misconduct, according to a letter sent to parents then. The fourth was dismissed for unrelated reasons.
Kinkaid officials hired T&M Protection Resources to conduct the investigation. According to this week’s letter, the firm found that one faculty member inappropriately touched at least eight students between the ages of 10 and 13 from the late 1960s through the early 1970s. Another faculty member allegedly attempted to sexually assault one student, solicited students to engage in sexual acts and inappropriately touched others between the
ages of 14 and 17 from the late 1980s through the early 1990s. A third was found to have had an inappropriate relationship, including a sexual interaction, with a 16year-old student in the 1990s.
Investigators interviewed 58 alumni, current and former faculty members, school board trustees and others over 15 months, according to the letter.
“First and foremost, we want to thank the individuals who bravely came forward to report instances of misconduct and abuse they either experienced or witnessed,” the school board wrote in the letter. “While expressing our heartfelt regret for the misconduct our investigators found, we also wish to extend our most sincere gratitude to the community for its support as we have worked through this process.”
The Kinkaid School serves students in grades pre-K through 12 in Piney Point Village in West Houston. Its website describes the school as “a premier college preparatory school that stresses academic accomplishment alongside social development, athletic participation, enjoyment of the arts and ethical behavior.”
Although the investigation is closed, those with information about potential sexual misconduct at the Kinkaid School are encouraged to contact T&M investigators Laura Kirschstein and Julie Freudenheim by emailing KinkaidSchool@tmprotection.com or by calling 646-445-7544.