KIRKWOOD — Some Kirkwood School District students cited a lack of trust in school staff as one of the reasons students did not report previous sexual abuse in the district, according to a report compiled by a company hired to review the district’s handling of past sexual assault allegations.
The lack of trust, according to the report, developed as a result of the district’s handling of prior accusations.
“What’s most important is to keep listening, particularly to your students,†said Ann Molloy, a founder of the company that prepared the report, Kansas City-based Encompass Resolution. The company was hired in September after several former Kirkwood students in recent months said staff members sexually abused them while they were students.
Among the accused is Christopher Stephens, 55, who was indicted Sept. 16 on charges of statutory rape, sodomy and sexual assault. Allegations of his abuse surfaced last summer when a woman’s post on the Kirkwood High Alumni Facebook page claimed Stephens sexually abused her when she was a student in the 1990s.
People are also reading…
After the post by the woman, who identified herself to the Post-Dispatch as Katie Pappageorge, other students came forward and accused at least six former staff members, including teachers and coaches, of sexual abuse, assault or misconduct.
Molloy presented her findings during a Board of Education meeting Monday night. Kirkwood Superintendent David Ulrich said Molloy’s presentation was the first of many and that there would be additional investigations and reports. Molloy did not specify when asked during Monday’s meeting how many staff and students were surveyed in preparing Monday’s report.
“We’ve had conversations, and I believe they’ve been productive conversations, with various alumni,†Molloy said Monday. “Their voices are important.â€
Another key finding in the report was that students were generally unaware of and did not know where to find them. Some students expressed concern that if they came forward with their abuse, they would not be taken seriously or believed.
Upon surveying staff, the company found that some believed the community saying “The Kirkwood Way†played a part in the presumption that nothing bad could happen at the school.
Staff also reported a “boys’ club†and said there were past failures at the school that included ignoring or diminishing actions by “male perpetrators.â€
Recommendations from Molloy’s company include Title IX training for staff and age-appropriate guidance for students to report concerns about sexual assault and abuse.
Prior to Stephens’ arrest, he was honored in May 2019 by the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Board of Alderman for his work as a former teacher with ºüÀêÊÓƵ Community College and his work with the Italian community of ºüÀêÊÓƵ. His next court date is set for February.
Another former student filed a federal lawsuit in September accusing a Kirkwood School District teacher of sexual abuse. The lawsuit claims that over “the past 40 years, over 25 KSD employees sexually harassed students, sexually abused students, and/or sexually discriminated against students,†and that the district worked to cover up employees’ abuse.
The next step for Encompass Resolutions is looking at the district’s investigation process to see if there are still unreported complaints, and if so, why they are still unreported. The company will analyze how investigations, both recently and historically, have been conducted and whether there are any shortcomings in the process.
Taylor Tiamoyo Harris 314-340-8319 @ladytiamoyo on Twitter tharris@post-dispatch.com