American School for the Deaf issues report on sexual abuse investigation
On February 21, the American School for the Deaf published on their school website a summary of results from an investigation of sexual and physical abuse against students at the school in West Hartford, Connecticut and at Camp Isola Bella in Salisbury.
The Daily Moth reported last year on February 15, 2019 that the ASD Executive Director Jeffrey Bravin posted a vlog explaining that the school has learned about allegations made by alumni of inappropriate conduct by former staff in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Bravin said that they immediately reported it to the proper authorities and hired an attorney from Robinson + Cole to start an independent and confidential investigation and asked anyone with information to come forward.
So, after a year, the school is sharing the results of the investigation. The information is available online in ASL via a vlog by Bravin and in English and Spanish.
The attorney, Edward Heath, interviewed 81 alumni, former faculty, and other witnesses. The survivors’ names were kept confidential, but several alleged perpetrators were named.
The investigation named seven former ASD staff — six men and one woman — as individuals who allegedly sexually abused students. At least 40 former students were affected with most of them under 15 years old at the time the abuse happened. Most of the incidents were in the dorms or at Camp Isola Bella.
One of the most serious allegations involved Dr. Edmund Boatner, who was the Executive Director of ASD from 1935 to 1970. A female alumni said he sexually abused her from the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s and that it ended when she graduated. Boatner is now deceased.
Two other alleged perpetrators are deceased, while four are alive. Of those still alive, all four declined to be interviewed. One of them said he was surprised at the allegations.
ASD said at least 37 alumni reported persistent corporal punishment and/or physical abuse from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. Two additional staff members, who are deceased, were identified as the perpetrators, along with Albert Couthen, an ASD alumni who was also those accused of sexual abuse. So there nine names in total.
ASD said they offer a “sincere and heartfelt apology to the survivors of the inexcusable actions identified in this report and for the fact that the School did not prevent or stop them.”
ASD said they are committed to make sure that the actions described in the report are never repeated.
ASD said those who are accused of abuse will be barred entry on campus, at Camp Isola Bella, or at any ASD event — and that any plaques or honoraria of the accused will be voided and removed.
The Hartford Courant, a local newspaper, was the first to report ASD’s announcement on Friday. Since then, multiple national and international newspapers have run stories about ASD.
The Courant reported that according to Connecticut law, many of the allegations are “too old for the survivors to bring either a criminal or civil case.”
The Courant also reported that the state legislature had a proposal to remove the statue of limitations for sexual assault survivors to bring lawsuits, but that the judiciary committee tabled it (did not advance the bill) on Friday, a few hours before ASD’s report. A state senator told the Courant that she was suspicious of the timing, but ASD’s director of institutional advancement said there was no connection and that they already planned for a few weeks to hold a Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, February 20 and release the report after the meeting, which was on Friday the 21st.
ASD Findings: https://www.asd-1817.org/findings
Hartford Courant:
https://www.courant.com/.../hc-br-american-school-deaf...
https://www.courant.com/.../hc-news-west-hartford-school...
Daily Moth: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=245602656389918
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