PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - At least nine former teachers and other staffers at a Portland private school sexually abused or groped students in the last 40 years, according to a year-long internal investigation commissioned by the school’s board of trustees.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the explosive report listed complaints or allegations of abuse against another 12 former faculty members and coaches at Catlin Gabel that could not be corroborated. The exact number of victims may never be known.
Students and even teachers who attempted to blow the whistle on the suspected abusers usually saw their complaints go nowhere. Three of the six former teachers and coaches named as abusers in the report were eventually forced out of their jobs.
Catlin apologized to parents and alumni in a letter it distributed Wednesday. “It is clear that Catlin Gabel failed on multiple accounts — in protecting students, in addressing the abuse, and in enacting change,” the school said. “We profoundly apologize for the pain and suffering that these alumni endured. What happened is inexcusable.”
The most recent case of known abuse resulted in the employee getting fired in 2016. None of the alleged perpetrators are still employed by Catlin Gabel.
Catlin Gabel’s board launched the investigation last October after a former student alleged on Facebook that she’d been abused by a Catlin teacher.
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