Teacher’s Sexual Misconduct Confirmed: Cheshire Academy Officials

CHESHIRE, CT — An investigation has confirmed allegations of sexual misconduct by a former Cheshire Academy teacher against two students “based on a preponderance of evidence,” school officials recently announced. Officials launched an investigation after receiving “troubling allegations” from two former students regarding Robert Stephen Phillips Jr., who was a middle school teacher at Cheshire Academy from 1967 to 1969, according to a joint statement by Head of School Julie Anderson and Richard F. Cerrone, chairman of the board of trustees.

Along with reporting the allegations to police and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, school officials retained the Hartford law firm Cowdery & Murphy to conduct an investigation. Attorney James Cowdery, former Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, led the recently completed investigation.

“Cowdery & Murphy has concluded that, based on a preponderance of evidence, Mr. Phillips engaged in inappropriate sexual misconduct against the students who reported the misconduct,” Anderson and Cerrone said in a message to the Cheshire Academy community in late January. “In addition, Cowdery & Murphy concluded that the School may have missed opportunities to appropriately address Mr. Phillip’s misconduct during his tenure as a faculty member and decades later when a survivor of his abuse communicated with the School to report his experiences.

“It is painful to learn of the credible, corroborated accounts by our former students who experienced unconscionable misconduct and abuse by Mr. Phillips. We apologize with all our hearts to these courageous individuals and deeply regret that opportunities were missed to adequately address Mr. Phillip’s abuse five decades ago and to respond more empathetically to the survivors of these horrific experiences.”

They also said that they’ve reached out to the Cheshire Academy community on several occasions over the last several years to “encourage the reporting of any misconduct, no matter how many years ago it may have occurred.”

“Please understand that the conclusion of this investigation only reinforces our desire to make sure that all our students, past and present, know that the school welcomes their engagement and considers them to be cherished members of our community,” the message reads. “Educating students in a nurturing environment has been central to Cheshire Academy’s mission throughout its history. The safety of our students is our highest priority, and we are in a strong position today to prevent and detect inappropriate behaviors in our school community. All faculty and staff are subject to robust background and reference checks. They participate in mandatory professional development emphasizing student safety, maintaining appropriate student-teacher relationships, boundaries, and reporting requirements. Clear policies and procedures are in place for students to report and the school to take action on any inappropriate sexual conduct.

“We want to thank all those who contributed to this investigation, especially the survivors. We apologize again for the experiences they suffered and the pain that endures. The Academy is committed, as a family, to honestly addressing and learning from both the good and the bad of our 225-year history.”

School officials wouldn’t comment any further on the case, saying the involved parties asked to keep the details “confidential” and they are honoring that request, according to the New Haven Register.