The Nichols School has released a report, capping a six-month investigation into past inappropriate relationships involving students and faculty, revealing ten former faculty engaged in misconduct.
Washington D.C.-based Crowell and Moring conducted the investigation, interviewing 76 individuals, to prepare the report. The release of the report follows the revelation published Friday by the Buffalo News of a past consensual but inappropriate intimate relationship in the 1990s involving a student and teacher. The teacher, in that published report, admits to the relationship.
The report finds that ten former faculty engaged in inappropriate relationships with students, the most recent occurring at least a dozen years ago. No current teachers are accused of any wrongdoing.
However, the Buffalo News also reported Friday that longtime Nichols administrator Mary Rockwell announced her retirement. According the Buffalo News, Rockwell was allegedly informed of the inappropriate relationship featured by the newspaper as far back as 1994 but did not take action.
In a news release sent to WBFO, Board of Trustees Chairman Jeff Meyer says, "Only through a transparent, independent process such as this can we come to terms with past misconduct at the school and move Nichols forward into the future."
WBFO attempted several times to arrange interviews with school officials. Spokesperson Jesse Baier, in an emailed response, stated that the school is "letting the press release and report speak for themselves."
