An update to the Catlin Gabel sexual misconduct lawsuits
By George Pritchard ‘23
Catlin Gabel School Entrance. Photo Courtesy of KATU
In December 2019, Catlin Gabel School (CGS) published a report that sent shockwaves through the CGS community. The report detailed findings from an investigation into CGS’s history of sexual misconduct. It revealed decades of abuse from multiple CGS employees, primarily during the 1970-90s.
Since the report was published, there has been little information on the situation. CGS sent occasional community updates in the following years, but it has been relatively quiet. This begs the question: What happened to the CGS sexual misconduct lawsuits?
On the legal side of things, at least 20 former students who were victims of sexual misconduct opted to press charges against the school. Many of the cases are still ongoing, but the Oregonian did report that the school settled with two former students for “life changing amounts of money.”
However, this Oregonian article led to controversy in the case, as it was agreed prior to the settlement to not announce the results of the cases. By announcing the scope of money in the settlement, CGS claimed that it could influence future settlement decisions. That led to the school requesting to move future cases to a court outside of Multnomah county to reduce the role of media influence, but the request was denied.
The status of the other cases filed against the school is currently unknown, with CGS declining to comment.
However, CGS has made internal changes in its own community. When the findings of the investigation were first published, the school immediately took action. CGS Head of School Tim Bazemore, alongside the board of directors, established three goals for the school in the direct aftermath of the report.
“The first was to understand and acknowledge what has happened; as publicly, with integrity, and honestly as we could. The second goal was to help support alumni survivors to heal and repair as best we could. The third was to try to be as safe a school as possible for students,” said Bazemore.
With these three goals in mind, CGS implemented a multitude of changes. They drastically increased security checks for all employees, introduced a sexual assault resource guide for students, and established standards and expectations for student-teacher relationships.
The school also instituted an anonymous tip-line for students to report, and created an alumni therapy fund in order to support alumni who were victims of sexual misconduct, and other additional changes to ensure student safety.
“We’ve tried to be super comprehensive in our changes,” Bazemore said. “I think we’re a safer place than we were three years ago, and we’re definitely a safer place than we were 20 years ago.”
While these changes have been steps in the right direction for CGS, Bazemore emphasized this does not mean the school has done all the work it needs to do.
“I'm not sure you’re ever really successful. That’s not a word I would use. I don’t think we’re proud of what we've done… I think we’ve tried to be true to those goals as best we can and stay true and follow through with them.”
Throughout the scandal, there have been many articles written in local newspapers such as the Oregonian and the Portland Tribune. These articles, and the scandal in general, have affected CGS’s reputation.
Bazemore spoke to this issue, saying, “I think prospective families and employees are generally aware of what’s happened here historically, and they’re also aware of how the school has responded. I hope that people see integrity in the process, but I also know that people are going to have their own opinions.”
“I don’t think it's had a negative impact on the school community, in the sense that enrollment is still strong and we still have great candidates for job openings.”
CGS has attempted to rebuild safety on campus, and trust with its community through its three goals. Some lawsuits have been settled, but many remain unsettled for the time being.