America's most prestigious boarding school reveals that it barred a longtime faculty member from campus
Phillips Exeter Academy/Facebook
Phillips Exeter Academy has revealed that a well-regarded instructor was forced to retire and barred from campus because of two instances of sexual misconduct that took place in the 1970s and 1980s, The Boston Globe reported.
Rick Schubart — who held multiple roles during his 40-year tenure with Exeter, including director of admissions and chair of the history department — admitted to both cases of sexual misconduct, according to the school.
The news was released Wednesday in a letter from Principal Lisa MacFarlane and President of the Prustees Eunice Panetta that Business Insider obtained.
While the elite school learned of the incidents in 2011 and 2015, the school did not publicly announce the misconduct until Wednesday — a day after the Globe inquired about the incidents, according to the newspaper.
"In both cases Mr. Schubart admitted that sexual misconduct occurred," the letter read. "In 2011, Mr. Schubart was required to retire and removed from campus housing. In 2015, he was stripped of his emeritus status and permanently barred from campus and all Exeter events."
Schubart was not immediately available for comment on Thursday. He told The Globe he could not "comment in any way" and referred the paper to his lawyer, who did not return two messages it left.
The letter did not describe the sexual misconduct involving the two former students.
However, The Globe reported that it spoke to one of the former students, who said she asked Schubert for advice during her senior year and was kissed by him at the end of the night. Schubart and the victim had a sexual relationship for several months following the initial kiss, according to the former student, who asked the Globe not to use her name.
The news out of Exeter — which Business Insider named America's most elite boarding school — follows an unsettling trend of instances of sexual misconduct and abuse at boarding schools.
In January, at least 40 former students of St. George's School, an elite prep school in Rhode Island, came forward with allegations of sexual abuse and rape by seven former staff members and four students, The New York Times reported.
The alleged sexual abuse took place from 1974 through 2004. Four of the seven accused former teachers are currently alive and two seem to still be working in a setting with children, according to The Times.