Babylon Alumni Creates Foundation For Survivors Of Sexual Abuse

BABYLON, NY — A Babylon High School alumni is taking action against child sexual abuse.

Brittany Rohl, 28, the first person to publicly claim they were sexually abused by a school employee, created The Building Hope & Safety Foundation, which aims to bring justice and advocacy for those sexually abused in the district.

Rohl told Patch she originally created the foundation and its website to start sharing the tasks she has been taking on as an advocate. But after receiving many inquiries and interests, she realized the foundation was a much needed resource for current students.

"I started to hear from students at BHS that the school has not addressed these issues with them or provided them any tangible support. They told me that they feel uneasy in school and don't know which teachers or guidance counselors they can trust."

In a letter addressed to parents and students, superintendent Linda Rozzi announced that the high school has scheduled programs for 9th through 12th grade students this month to address sexual harrassment, dating violence, and grooming. Students in 7th and 8th grade will also receive a similar program.

Rohl also said that through the inquiries, she learned that the "trauma inflicted on this community" is generational. For example, parents claim they also faced a toxic environment when they attended school as well, she said.

“The need for outreach to the community to help us come to terms with our experiences is bigger than I initially thought,” she said. “I'm conscious that this is almost certainly occurring in other school districts around the country, and want to really give everything I can into organizing this so that it could potentially be replicated elsewhere and we can share what has and hasn't worked for us.”

At a Babylon Board of Education meeting on November 15, Rohl, along with dozens of other women, spoke out about their experiences of being sexually abused as students. Later that week, Rohl, a current PhD candidate in psychology, announced she had dropped her teaching responsibilities to focus on bringing justice for sexual abuse survivors.

Last month, Attorney General Letitia James launched an investigation into the district after its "disturbing" allegations.

"Every student on Long Island and across New York deserves to feel safe and protected at school," James said in a statement. "The reports of sexual abuse of students at the hands of their teachers and coaches are troubling and must be investigated."

Rohl told Patch that she has taken a leave of absence from her graduate program for the spring semester in order to "really get this off the ground."

Rohl initially created six teams for the foundation, with the intent of returning to her graduate program. The teams, which are already fully staffed include: survivor board, resource and education team, newsletter team, social media team, story collection team, and advocacy team.

Rohl said that as her concept of the foundation has grown, her long-term vision now includes goals such as small grants to help alumni get therapy, scholarships for BHS students who write essays about the ways the experience has impacted them and how it might influence their choice of study, etc.

Rohl said that she eventually intends to hand off leadership of the foundation so she can return to her program and finish her PhD in psychology. But until then, she said, the community needs someone to turn to.

“I simply can't turn away from the community when I see the problems that I do and knowing I have the skills and energy to potentially fast-track this and help assuage the persistent fears we all have that this will die out.,” she said. “The community is reeling and needs someone they can trust.”

The Babylon School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment.