Attorneys to investigate Key School abuse

The Key School in Annapolis has launched an investigation into allegations that a culture of sexual abuse existed in the 1970s with administrators’ knowledge.

The Washington Post reported that two Baltimore lawyers — Andrew Jay Graham and Jean E. Lewis — are leading the investigation. The school teaches prekindergarten through 12th grade.

Reached by The Sun, Graham declined to comment.

Matthew Nespole, the current head of the school, said in an email to the community Sunday that he hoped the investigation would bring new clarity to what happened. He had previously said that the school failed to protect students.

The school was first made aware of the allegations earlier this year, after a 59year-old former student wrote in January on social media about abuse by two teachers starting when she was 13. She used the hashtag #KeyToo to encourage other abuse survivors to come forward.

Since then, seven former students have come forward to say they were abused in the 1970s.

In March, The Capital newspaper reported that Key school leaders said they believe in the credibility of the allegations.

In a Feb. 25 email to the school community, administrators wrote: “It is our opinion that individuals who were part of the Key community in the past failed to protect our students and to respond appropriately to reports of faculty misconduct made by former students.”

Nespole said Sunday that The Post article brought new and “disturbing” allegations to light. The article describes a culture of abuse at the school, one in which teachers preyed on their underage students with impunity, and that for students, dating teachers was seen as a means to social status.

Nespole said school administrators had forwarded the article to the lawyers to be incorporated into their investigation.

Police say they haven’t received reports of any recent inappropriate conduct at the school.