- Who runs this website?
- What do you want Indian Springs to do regarding the sexual misconduct investigation?
- I was told that Indian Springs is withholding names of living abusers to protect the victims/survivors. Is that a legitimate concern?
- Why not wait until the investigation is concluded before criticizing the school's handling of it? Shouldn't we give Springs the benefit of the doubt?
- If victims/survivors have evidence that they were abused by someone who is still alive, then why don't they just go to the police or the courts?
- Are there positive examples of schools responding to sexual misconduct that Springs could learn from?
- I support victims/survivors, and I am horrified by what these abusive faculty and staff did. But I also love Indian Springs and am worried about what might happen to the school if they released the information Springs Survivors is asking for. Are you worried this could bring down Indian Springs?
- Should I report my experiences of educator sexual misconduct to the school's investigators?
Who runs this website?
Springs Survivors is run by a network of Indian Springs alumni. It is not affiliated with Indian Springs School.
What do you want Indian Springs to do regarding the sexual misconduct investigation?
The first step is for Indian Springs to publicly name all current and former faculty and staff credibly accused of sexual misconduct. This is a matter of justice for victims/survivors, accountability for perpetrators, and institutional transparency and accountability. It is also a matter of child safety. Without a public record of credibly accused faculty and staff, there is nothing to prevent sexual abusers from seeking work with children elsewhere.
Other independent schools have already established a precedent for publicly naming credibly accused abusers:
While naming credibly accused faculty and staff is a crucial step, it is only the first step. All of the schools listed here not only named credibly accused faculty and staff, but also released reports that detailed the institutional and cultural factors that contributed to abuse. This is important because at these schools, as at Indian Springs, educator sexual misconduct was not simply perpetrated by “a few bad apples”; the problem was systemic.
You can read the rest of our proposals in the petition endorsed by over 250 alumni, parents, and friends of Indian Springs.
Other independent schools have already established a precedent for publicly naming credibly accused abusers:
- Choate Rosemary Hall
- Phillips Exeter Academy
- Emma Willard School
- The Key School
- The Hotchkiss School
- Catlin Gabel School
While naming credibly accused faculty and staff is a crucial step, it is only the first step. All of the schools listed here not only named credibly accused faculty and staff, but also released reports that detailed the institutional and cultural factors that contributed to abuse. This is important because at these schools, as at Indian Springs, educator sexual misconduct was not simply perpetrated by “a few bad apples”; the problem was systemic.
You can read the rest of our proposals in the petition endorsed by over 250 alumni, parents, and friends of Indian Springs.
I was told that Indian Springs is withholding names of living abusers to protect the victims/survivors. Is that a legitimate concern?
We have consulted with victims/survivors’ advocates, child sexual abuse experts, and independent investigators at agencies that specialize in abuse. None of them shared this stated concern. Every one of the experts we spoke to told us that Indian Springs can and should publicly name all credibly accused abusers. They described this as standard best practice, and said that it was a matter of justice for victims/survivors, institutional transparency and accountability, and child safety.
Moreover, victims/survivors have consistently told us that they went through the pain of telling their stories to the investigators because they wanted Springs to name their abusers and tell the truth about what those abusers did. For many victims/survivors, the school’s refusal to name the abusers has compounded the betrayal of the abuse. Victims/survivors had the courage to participate in the investigation when the school asked them to do so. Indian Springs should have the courage to name their abusers.
Moreover, victims/survivors have consistently told us that they went through the pain of telling their stories to the investigators because they wanted Springs to name their abusers and tell the truth about what those abusers did. For many victims/survivors, the school’s refusal to name the abusers has compounded the betrayal of the abuse. Victims/survivors had the courage to participate in the investigation when the school asked them to do so. Indian Springs should have the courage to name their abusers.
Why not wait until the investigation is concluded before criticizing the school's handling of it? Shouldn't we give Springs the benefit of the doubt?
The Indian Springs educator sexual misconduct investigation has now been open for over three years. The investigation began in December 2017. Since then, the school has released two community-wide letters which name only deceased abusers and disclose very little information about their crimes. More than two years after beginning the investigation, Indian Springs leadership still has not provided a timeline for concluding it. The long duration of the investigation and the school’s failure to set a timeline for its conclusion are not standard for such investigations. We are concerned that, at this point, the school is holding the investigation open as a way to discourage or delay criticism.
We believe that, after decades of systemic sexual misconduct, more than two years of keeping the investigation open, and two deeply flawed and obfuscating official letters on the investigation’s findings, Indian Springs leadership has used up any possible claims to the benefit of the doubt.
That being said, institutions that are serious about accountability do not ask victims/survivors to give them the benefit of the doubt, and they do not dismiss community concerns by insisting that people should just trust them. Institutions that are serious about accountability take responsibility for the ways they have damaged the community’s trust in them. They operate transparently so that the community can see the process for themselves and hold institutional leaders accountable to their promises.
We would prefer not to have to do this work. Victims/survivors of child sexual abuse should not have to go online and name their abusers themselves to get some measure of accountability or provide some measure of protection to other potential victims. Alumni should not have to do in their spare time what the Indian Springs board and administration are appointed and hired to do.
It was, and is, the school’s responsibility to protect its students, and it is the school’s responsibility to be transparent and accountable with the investigation’s findings now. We hope Springs leadership will begin to meet their responsibilities to victims/survivors, but it has been over two years since they opened the investigation, and they haven’t done so yet. In the meantime, we believe it is up to the whole of the Indian Springs community to amplify victims/survivors’ stories and advocate for transparency, accountability, and justice.
We believe that, after decades of systemic sexual misconduct, more than two years of keeping the investigation open, and two deeply flawed and obfuscating official letters on the investigation’s findings, Indian Springs leadership has used up any possible claims to the benefit of the doubt.
That being said, institutions that are serious about accountability do not ask victims/survivors to give them the benefit of the doubt, and they do not dismiss community concerns by insisting that people should just trust them. Institutions that are serious about accountability take responsibility for the ways they have damaged the community’s trust in them. They operate transparently so that the community can see the process for themselves and hold institutional leaders accountable to their promises.
We would prefer not to have to do this work. Victims/survivors of child sexual abuse should not have to go online and name their abusers themselves to get some measure of accountability or provide some measure of protection to other potential victims. Alumni should not have to do in their spare time what the Indian Springs board and administration are appointed and hired to do.
It was, and is, the school’s responsibility to protect its students, and it is the school’s responsibility to be transparent and accountable with the investigation’s findings now. We hope Springs leadership will begin to meet their responsibilities to victims/survivors, but it has been over two years since they opened the investigation, and they haven’t done so yet. In the meantime, we believe it is up to the whole of the Indian Springs community to amplify victims/survivors’ stories and advocate for transparency, accountability, and justice.
If victims/survivors have evidence that they were abused by someone who is still alive, then why don't they just go to the police or the courts?
Unfortunately, the criminal and civil statutes of limitations in Alabama are outdated, and still largely stacked against victims/survivors of sexual abuse. Most victims/survivors of child sexual abuse at Indian Springs cannot seek redress through the courts, no matter how much evidence they have.
Alabama would greatly benefit from changes to the statutes and from a “look back window” for child sexual abuse victims/survivors to file, similar to what other states have implemented in recent years.
In the meantime, if you are a victim/survivor of sexual abuse at Indian Springs and are wondering whether you might still have time to seek justice through the courts, you can read about the Alabama statutes of limitations at RAINN’s website.
Alabama would greatly benefit from changes to the statutes and from a “look back window” for child sexual abuse victims/survivors to file, similar to what other states have implemented in recent years.
In the meantime, if you are a victim/survivor of sexual abuse at Indian Springs and are wondering whether you might still have time to seek justice through the courts, you can read about the Alabama statutes of limitations at RAINN’s website.
Are there positive examples of schools responding to sexual misconduct that Springs could learn from?
Yes. There are several positive examples of independent schools’ responses to historic, systemic educator sexual misconduct. Indian Springs has both the responsibility and the resources to learn from them.
Choate Rosemary Hall is considered a model for independent school responses to systemic educator sexual misconduct. Choate:
Choate’s leadership responded very well to the school’s history of systemic sexual abuse. But it is important to remember that Choate’s leaders did not create and implement this model in a vacuum. Choate’s response resulted from the hard work of victims/survivors themselves. It was shaped by the input of experts in institutional responses to abuse. And it was motivated, in part, by the pressure of attention from investigative journalists at the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team.
Phillips Exeter Academy followed an approach similar to Choate’s, and has similarly been praised as a model for how independent schools respond to historic, systemic educator sexual misconduct. PEA publicly released the investigators’ reports, with victims/survivors identifying information redacted. These reports included names of perpetrators and narratives about the abuse. You can read the PEA reports here.
Other independent schools that have named abusers and released investigation reports include:
Choate Rosemary Hall is considered a model for independent school responses to systemic educator sexual misconduct. Choate:
- Publicly named credibly accused faculty and staff
- Included narratives of the abuse in their public reports
- Publicly described the ways in which the institution and the school culture had enabled abuse and protected abusers
- Protected victims/survivors’ identities
- Created a fund to pay for victims/survivors’ therapy
Choate’s leadership responded very well to the school’s history of systemic sexual abuse. But it is important to remember that Choate’s leaders did not create and implement this model in a vacuum. Choate’s response resulted from the hard work of victims/survivors themselves. It was shaped by the input of experts in institutional responses to abuse. And it was motivated, in part, by the pressure of attention from investigative journalists at the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team.
Phillips Exeter Academy followed an approach similar to Choate’s, and has similarly been praised as a model for how independent schools respond to historic, systemic educator sexual misconduct. PEA publicly released the investigators’ reports, with victims/survivors identifying information redacted. These reports included names of perpetrators and narratives about the abuse. You can read the PEA reports here.
Other independent schools that have named abusers and released investigation reports include:
- Emma Willard School (Troy, NY)
- The Key School (Annapolis, MD)
- The Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, CT)
- Catlin Gabel School (Portland, OR)
I support victims/survivors, and I am horrified by what these abusive faculty and staff did. But, I also love Indian Springs and am worried about what might happen to the school if they released the information Springs Survivors is asking for. Are you worried this could bring down Indian Springs?
We believe the school can survive an honest reckoning with its history of systemic sexual abuse--as Choate, Phillips Exeter, and other independent schools have done. We do not think it is in the institution’s interest to maintain silence and secrecy. What we have seen in the cases of systemic sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts is that institutional refusals of accountability and transparency are what ultimately bring about the worst publicity, and the most damaging lawsuits, for those institutions.
Most victims/survivors do not want to sue an institution they love, or go to the newspapers with stories of their childhood sexual abuse and institutional failure or betrayal. Victims/survivors file lawsuits and call investigative journalists when other avenues for justice and accountability have been repeatedly denied. The best way for Springs to protect its institutional future is by meeting the moral and professional responsibilities it should be meeting anyway: supporting victims/survivors, holding abusers and their enablers accountable, and being transparent and accountable about the sexual misconduct investigation.
Institutions that have taken the path of transparency and accountability have not faced the same fallout as the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts. Accountability and transparency are ultimately better for institutions than silence and secrecy.
That said, the moral priority must be healing and justice for victims/survivors, accountability for perpetrators, transparency and accountability for the institution, and child safety. We believe that these take clear priority over any consideration of what is best for the institution’s reputation or its finances.
Most victims/survivors do not want to sue an institution they love, or go to the newspapers with stories of their childhood sexual abuse and institutional failure or betrayal. Victims/survivors file lawsuits and call investigative journalists when other avenues for justice and accountability have been repeatedly denied. The best way for Springs to protect its institutional future is by meeting the moral and professional responsibilities it should be meeting anyway: supporting victims/survivors, holding abusers and their enablers accountable, and being transparent and accountable about the sexual misconduct investigation.
Institutions that have taken the path of transparency and accountability have not faced the same fallout as the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts. Accountability and transparency are ultimately better for institutions than silence and secrecy.
That said, the moral priority must be healing and justice for victims/survivors, accountability for perpetrators, transparency and accountability for the institution, and child safety. We believe that these take clear priority over any consideration of what is best for the institution’s reputation or its finances.
Should I report my experiences of educator sexual misconduct to the school's investigators?
We cannot tell you whether you should or should not report to the investigators. That is your decision, and we will support whatever decision you make. About half of the people who submit stories to this website tell us they did report. More broadly, most of the victims/survivors we have spoken to told us they reported their abuse to the investigators, but that Springs has still refused to name their abusers.
Some victims/survivors found it emotionally helpful to report their abuse to the investigators. Some described the process of reporting as emotionally draining and highly upsetting, both because of the difficulties of going back over traumatic experiences, and because of the sense of betrayal when Indian Springs still refused to name their abusers.
While some investigative agencies require their clients to be transparent with the investigators’ findings, Jackson Lewis does not. The Jackson Lewis attorneys send their reports to the school’s attorneys, who then advise the school leadership. Indian Springs has no legal or contractual obligation to share what they learn from the investigators, either with the victims/survivors who reported, or with the rest of the school-community.
If you decide to report to the investigators, you can reach Martha Van Oot at martha.vanoot(at)jacksonlewis.com and Daniel Schwarz at daniel.schwarz(at)jacksonlewis.com. We encourage you to make sure you have good social support around you, and to contact RAINN at their 24-hour hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673) or online live chat if you need immediate support.
Some victims/survivors found it emotionally helpful to report their abuse to the investigators. Some described the process of reporting as emotionally draining and highly upsetting, both because of the difficulties of going back over traumatic experiences, and because of the sense of betrayal when Indian Springs still refused to name their abusers.
While some investigative agencies require their clients to be transparent with the investigators’ findings, Jackson Lewis does not. The Jackson Lewis attorneys send their reports to the school’s attorneys, who then advise the school leadership. Indian Springs has no legal or contractual obligation to share what they learn from the investigators, either with the victims/survivors who reported, or with the rest of the school-community.
If you decide to report to the investigators, you can reach Martha Van Oot at martha.vanoot(at)jacksonlewis.com and Daniel Schwarz at daniel.schwarz(at)jacksonlewis.com. We encourage you to make sure you have good social support around you, and to contact RAINN at their 24-hour hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673) or online live chat if you need immediate support.