Sex Abuse Allegations Substantiated At McDonogh School: Report

OWINGS MILLS, MD — The McDonogh School this week released findings from a two-year investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by former faculty members. Since the 1940s, there have been five former faculty members suspected of sexual misconduct involving a total of 24 students, school officials wrote in a letter to alumni, current students and their families that was obtained by multiple media outlets.

Founded in 1893, McDonogh is a private college preparatory school in Owings Mills that has more than 1,300 students in grades kindergarten through 12. It began as an all-boys school and turned coed in 1975.

The investigation into sex abuse at McDonogh began after a former student alleged that two now-deceased faculty members had inappropriate contact with him in the 1980s.

Leaders alerted the McDonogh community about the allegations in November 2016, according to ABC 2 News. Then McDonogh hired an outside firm to conduct an independent review of the case, which found that the abuse took place over several decades and included others beyond the initial two faculty members named.

After reviewing the allegations and interviewing 68 people that included alumni as well as past and present faculty and board members, the firm determined that the two men — Alvin J. Levy and Robert E. Creed — abused a total of 19 boys during a 40-year period.

An additional five female students were the victims of alleged sexual misconduct by three other men on the faculty from the 1970s to 1980s, according to a letter to the McDonogh community sent this week from Principal David J. Farace (class of '87) and Board of Trustees Chair Howard S. Klein (class of '76).

The allegations were brought to administrators and board members more than three decades ago, according to the letter published by The Baltimore Sun, but they did not take any action.

Now, authorities have been contacted, and the Baltimore County state's attorney confirmed to The Sun that it had reached out to those who were victimized.

"These findings are difficult and heartbreaking, and we are deeply sorry for what the survivors have endured," Farace and Klein wrote in their letter, dated April 9. "We are unequivocally committed to learning from past failings, helping those who have been affected, and protecting the health and safety of all our students — former, present and future."

To protect the victims' privacy, the school did not go into detail about the victims in the letter. It also said that it has put in place measures including a harrassment policy, oversight position and staff training around inappropriate conduct to prevent future victimization.

McDonogh is not the only private school in the area that has come to terms with a history that contains sexual misconduct.

There were 10 adults who engaged in sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships at the Key School in Annapolis, according to a report it released in February about its investigation.

Nearly 70 elite private schools in New England have faced similar allegations since 1990, resulting in at least 90 lawsuits on behalf of victims, 37 firings or resignations of those accused, and 11 cases of accused adults who continued their careers at other schools, according to a 2016 expose by The Boston Globe.

Those who may have been victimized at McDonogh or have information about misconduct may contact T&M, the third-party firm that conducted the McDonogh investigation, at 212-916-8852 or lkirschestein@tmprotection.com.

SEE ALSO:

• McDonogh School Assault Allegations Lead To Investigation
• Key School Abuse Figure Sparks DC School Investigation: Report
• Calvert Hall Counselor Removed From School After Sex Allegation