Upper East Side Girls' School Brearley To Investigate Past Sex Abuse: Report

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Brearley School, an elite Upper East Side all-girls school, has launched an investigation into claims of sex abuse in the "distant past," according to reports.

The school announced the retaining of law firm Covington & Burling to investigate any allegations of sexual misconduct in a letter sent to parents, alumni and staff, the New York Times reported.

"We have recently been made aware of possible sexual misconduct, not related to current faculty or staff, which occurred in the distant past," the letter said. "Regardless of the time that has elapsed, it is our absolute responsibility to care for all of our alumnae and to do all that we can to cultivate an environment at Brearley in which all of our students — past, present and future — feel safe and secure."

The school is asking anyone with information about past sexual abuse or misconduct to come forward and aid the investigation, the Times reported.

Lawyers Nancy Kestenbaum and Elaine Stone from Covington & Burling will handle the investigation, the Times reported. Kestenbaum recently led a similar investigation at prestigious Connecticut boarding school Choate Rosemary Hall, which turned up evidence of decades of abuse by former faculty members.

Read the full Times article here.

Photo by Google Maps street view