Whitman Teacher and Crew Coach Arrested

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Post article - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/11/30/kirk-shipley-sex-abuse-whitman-coach-rowing/

The parents on the board of the Whitman Crew program seem toxic. Of course we all know that parents at W schools have a "see no evil" attitude and that their instinct is always to circle the wagon, but this was more like circling the dumpster fire for several years. No doubt they were blinded by the fact that Shipley was himself an Ivy graduate (Penn) and thought the program was their children's path to similar schools. And the apologies that the board has made over the years seem pro forma and anything but heartfelt.


I am a Whitman rowing parent.

No one was circling any wagons.

The board parents are not toxic.

To the contrary, the board's leaders are hardworking, genuinely kind people who have dedicated themselves to the team because their children love rowing.

They've known some of the crew kids since elementary school.

None of the parents knew about Shipley's alleged abuse.

It's fair to argue that we were all blind. But it was not because of college ambitions for our kids.

It was because normal people cannot imagine the kind of behavior described in the charging documents unless there's evidence or a clear report of it.

That came to the team on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the day Shipley was arrested.

The former rowers who reported him to the police have shown extraordinary courage and resolve.

Everyone wants justice done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am a Whitman rowing parent.

No one was circling any wagons.

The board parents are not toxic.

To the contrary, the board's leaders are hardworking, genuinely kind people who have dedicated themselves to the team because their children love rowing.

They've known some of the crew kids since elementary school.

None of the parents knew about Shipley's alleged abuse.

It's fair to argue that we were all blind. But it was not because of college ambitions for our kids.

It was because normal people cannot imagine the kind of behavior described in the charging documents unless there's evidence or a clear report of it.

That came to the team on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the day Shipley was arrested.

The former rowers who reported him to the police have shown extraordinary courage and resolve.

Everyone wants justice done.

Whitman rowing parent,

1. Were you not bothered by the persistent rumors of favoritism, boundary-crossing and negative atmosphere the coach fostered on the teams?
2. Had you heard that the coach was pursuing underage or barely-aged team members? If you did, was there a reason you decided not to believe them until the arrest?

[Anonymous]

Good questions from PP. Whitman rowing parent, it appears that you did not read the Post article from today? It makes very clear that the board parents knew perfectly well that there were several years worth of allegations from multiple girls discussing the toxic team environment, favoritism, and verbal abuse from Shipley. Even the lam-o investigator confirmed this in both of her investigations. It sounds like the board and investigator also knew there were allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior as well, if not the horrifying facts that have now come to light. The article made clear that there were 4 board members who had been there for years; they absolutely knew what was going on and absolutely bear blame for allowing Shipley to continue to have access to all these kids.

You say it wasn’t about the parents’ college admissions dreams for their girls, but I find that very hard to believe. Why else did parents allow him to turn a one-season club sport into an almost year round one with a schedule more grueling than most college programs? I’m not blaming you or any parent other than the ones on the board who willfully turned a blind eye to Shipley’s many abuses for what happened to the sexual assault victims. But I don’t understand how parents (or school officials) allowed the girls to participate in this clearly bizarre cult-of-Shipley situation year after year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am a Whitman rowing parent.

No one was circling any wagons.

The board parents are not toxic.

To the contrary, the board's leaders are hardworking, genuinely kind people who have dedicated themselves to the team because their children love rowing.

They've known some of the crew kids since elementary school.

None of the parents knew about Shipley's alleged abuse.

It's fair to argue that we were all blind. But it was not because of college ambitions for our kids.

It was because normal people cannot imagine the kind of behavior described in the charging documents unless there's evidence or a clear report of it.

That came to the team on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the day Shipley was arrested.

The former rowers who reported him to the police have shown extraordinary courage and resolve.

Everyone wants justice done.

Whitman rowing parent,

1. Were you not bothered by the persistent rumors of favoritism, boundary-crossing and negative atmosphere the coach fostered on the teams?
2. Had you heard that the coach was pursuing underage or barely-aged team members? If you did, was there a reason you decided not to believe them until the arrest?

Seriously pathetic that you are defending the parents. They chose winning and scholarships over a healthy environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's Whitman, what do you expect?

Signed,
A Whitman Graduate

I personally dont think this is a whitman thing. I enjoyed my time at Whitman and found the staff was relatively supportive compared to other schools.

However, I do think it's a generational thing. Again and again, boomers and xers seem to need to have it explained to them why sexual predation is unacceptable. They. Just. Don't. Get. It.

I have no idea why anyone could hear a teenage girl saying her high school coach had been sexually pursuant of her, but dismiss because she just turned 18. That is still so, so disgusting and a violation of every ethical code.

But soooo many older people need this stuff explained to them. Then the board gives the notes the girls wrote TO the coach in question.

There is seriously a problem with older people just dismissing male predatory sexual behavior. And that goes across the board.

Please don’t lump us in with the Boomers. I’m a late 70s Xer and am disgusted by sexual predation. I have no problem being open about that. Maybe older Xers, but we’re a different generation than Boomers.

Nah, I’m an older xer and think first poster just doesn’t know what they are talking about. We are the generation were date rape was first recognized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's Whitman, what do you expect?

Signed,
A Whitman Graduate

I personally dont think this is a whitman thing. I enjoyed my time at Whitman and found the staff was relatively supportive compared to other schools.

However, I do think it's a generational thing. Again and again, boomers and xers seem to need to have it explained to them why sexual predation is unacceptable. They. Just. Don't. Get. It.

I have no idea why anyone could hear a teenage girl saying her high school coach had been sexually pursuant of her, but dismiss because she just turned 18. That is still so, so disgusting and a violation of every ethical code.

But soooo many older people need this stuff explained to them. Then the board gives the notes the girls wrote TO the coach in question.

There is seriously a problem with older people just dismissing male predatory sexual behavior. And that goes across the board.

Please don’t lump us in with the Boomers. I’m a late 70s Xer and am disgusted by sexual predation. I have no problem being open about that. Maybe older Xers, but we’re a different generation than Boomers.

Nah, I’m an older xer and think first poster just doesn’t know what they are talking about. We are the generation were date rape was first recognized.

With adding nothing more annoying than a millennial claiming no one understands an issue except them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am a Whitman rowing parent.

No one was circling any wagons.

The board parents are not toxic.

To the contrary, the board's leaders are hardworking, genuinely kind people who have dedicated themselves to the team because their children love rowing.

They've known some of the crew kids since elementary school.

None of the parents knew about Shipley's alleged abuse.

It's fair to argue that we were all blind. But it was not because of college ambitions for our kids.

It was because normal people cannot imagine the kind of behavior described in the charging documents unless there's evidence or a clear report of it.

That came to the team on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the day Shipley was arrested.

The former rowers who reported him to the police have shown extraordinary courage and resolve.

Everyone wants justice done.

Whitman rowing parent,

1. Were you not bothered by the persistent rumors of favoritism, boundary-crossing and negative atmosphere the coach fostered on the teams?
2. Had you heard that the coach was pursuing underage or barely-aged team members? If you did, was there a reason you decided not to believe them until the arrest?




The answer to your first question is that I didn't know about those issues until Shipley was suspended.

To your second question, I never heard those rumors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am a Whitman rowing parent.

No one was circling any wagons.

The board parents are not toxic.

To the contrary, the board's leaders are hardworking, genuinely kind people who have dedicated themselves to the team because their children love rowing.

They've known some of the crew kids since elementary school.

None of the parents knew about Shipley's alleged abuse.

It's fair to argue that we were all blind. But it was not because of college ambitions for our kids.

It was because normal people cannot imagine the kind of behavior described in the charging documents unless there's evidence or a clear report of it.

That came to the team on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the day Shipley was arrested.

The former rowers who reported him to the police have shown extraordinary courage and resolve.

Everyone wants justice done.

Whitman rowing parent,

1. Were you not bothered by the persistent rumors of favoritism, boundary-crossing and negative atmosphere the coach fostered on the teams?
2. Had you heard that the coach was pursuing underage or barely-aged team members? If you did, was there a reason you decided not to believe them until the arrest?

Seriously pathetic that you are defending the parents. They chose winning and scholarships over a healthy environment.

I'm not defending anything.
I feel guilty every day about this.

But it's false to say that the team kept on an alleged predator--putting all our kids in danger-- because we wanted to win races and get into good colleges.

[Anonymous]

He was a teacher for over 20 years. I bet more bad stuff is going to come out. What about girls he taught? Doubt he didn’t have eyes on some of them too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am a Whitman rowing parent.

No one was circling any wagons.

The board parents are not toxic.

To the contrary, the board's leaders are hardworking, genuinely kind people who have dedicated themselves to the team because their children love rowing.

They've known some of the crew kids since elementary school.

None of the parents knew about Shipley's alleged abuse.

It's fair to argue that we were all blind. But it was not because of college ambitions for our kids.

It was because normal people cannot imagine the kind of behavior described in the charging documents unless there's evidence or a clear report of it.

That came to the team on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the day Shipley was arrested.

The former rowers who reported him to the police have shown extraordinary courage and resolve.

Everyone wants justice done.

Whitman rowing parent,

1. Were you not bothered by the persistent rumors of favoritism, boundary-crossing and negative atmosphere the coach fostered on the teams?
2. Had you heard that the coach was pursuing underage or barely-aged team members? If you did, was there a reason you decided not to believe them until the arrest?

Seriously pathetic that you are defending the parents. They chose winning and scholarships over a healthy environment.

I'm not defending anything.
I feel guilty every day about this.

But it's false to say that the team kept on an alleged predator--putting all our kids in danger-- because we wanted to win races and get into good colleges.

I'm sorry, but what is fair to say? "we were all duped by a master manipulator?" "we're ALL victims here" "we did nothing wrong" "of course we care about kids"

I mean trot out any platitude you like. I get this is hard, but the facts are very damning here. Winning = a free pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's Whitman, what do you expect?

Signed,
A Whitman Graduate

I personally dont think this is a whitman thing. I enjoyed my time at Whitman and found the staff was relatively supportive compared to other schools.

However, I do think it's a generational thing. Again and again, boomers and xers seem to need to have it explained to them why sexual predation is unacceptable. They. Just. Don't. Get. It.

I have no idea why anyone could hear a teenage girl saying her high school coach had been sexually pursuant of her, but dismiss because she just turned 18. That is still so, so disgusting and a violation of every ethical code.

But soooo many older people need this stuff explained to them. Then the board gives the notes the girls wrote TO the coach in question.

There is seriously a problem with older people just dismissing male predatory sexual behavior. And that goes across the board.

Our high school coach pursued (with consent) a 18 yo graduate and I remember thinking it was weird but okay. - Gen Xer

Another Gen x’er who saw a female HS coach pursue with consent a minor. I remember thinking “Yuck.” A shocking number of my college friends were date raped or assaulted. No, I don’t need you to explain anything to me. Get over your millennial self.

[Anonymous]

For what it’s worth even a low low level college rowing program woild have a schedule as “grueling” as what is described

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good questions from PP. Whitman rowing parent, it appears that you did not read the Post article from today? It makes very clear that the board parents knew perfectly well that there were several years worth of allegations from multiple girls discussing the toxic team environment, favoritism, and verbal abuse from Shipley. Even the lam-o investigator confirmed this in both of her investigations. It sounds like the board and investigator also knew there were allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior as well, if not the horrifying facts that have now come to light. The article made clear that there were 4 board members who had been there for years; they absolutely knew what was going on and absolutely bear blame for allowing Shipley to continue to have access to all these kids.

You say it wasn’t about the parents’ college admissions dreams for their girls, but I find that very hard to believe. Why else did parents allow him to turn a one-season club sport into an almost year round one with a schedule more grueling than most college programs? I’m not blaming you or any parent other than the ones on the board who willfully turned a blind eye to Shipley’s many abuses for what happened to the sexual assault victims. But I don’t understand how parents (or school officials) allowed the girls to participate in this clearly bizarre cult-of-Shipley situation year after year.

I read the article, but I see it through a different lens than you do.

I recognize that you find it hard to believe what I'm saying about scholarships and winning.

But it's the truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Post article - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/11/30/kirk-shipley-sex-abuse-whitman-coach-rowing/

The parents on the board of the Whitman Crew program seem toxic. Of course we all know that parents at W schools have a "see no evil" attitude and that their instinct is always to circle the wagon, but this was more like circling the dumpster fire for several years. No doubt they were blinded by the fact that Shipley was himself an Ivy graduate (Penn) and thought the program was their children's path to similar schools. And the apologies that the board has made over the years seem pro forma and anything but heartfelt.


I am a Whitman rowing parent.

No one was circling any wagons.

The board parents are not toxic.

To the contrary, the board's leaders are hardworking, genuinely kind people who have dedicated themselves to the team because their children love rowing.

They've known some of the crew kids since elementary school.

None of the parents knew about Shipley's alleged abuse.

It's fair to argue that we were all blind. But it was not because of college ambitions for our kids.

It was because normal people cannot imagine the kind of behavior described in the charging documents unless there's evidence or a clear report of it.

That came to the team on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the day Shipley was arrested.

The former rowers who reported him to the police have shown extraordinary courage and resolve.

Everyone wants justice done.

Idk, according to the article he was accused of having had a sexual relationship with a former student during the 2018 investigation. At some point the board parents heard something.

The girl told friends that she and Shipley had “hooked up after graduation” — which the parent who’d lodged the toxic culture complaint reported to the human resources consultant, the team’s board, both Whitman’s outgoing and incoming principals, the school system, Montgomery County child welfare authorities and USRowing. All acknowledged to her that they’d received the information, but the complaint seemed to go nowhere...

...The board assured parents it had reported the 2018 allegation to SafeSport, a nonprofit that investigates coaches accused of abusing athletes, and confirmed that the school system was aware of the claim.
“The Board relied on the respective expertise and experience of MCPS [Montgomery County Public Schools], SafeSport, and Montgomery County child protective services to investigate and report any findings of sexual abuse or misconduct by Shipley,” the board wrote. There were none...

...Hernberg (the twice hired human resources consultant - my addition), who did not respond to requests for comment, made no mention of the allegation in her 2018 report. She does not list the rower as one of the people she interviewed.

Ravick, the parent who’d first sounded the alarm about Shipley, said she felt both disgusted and furious as she read the criminal complaint, which was being shared across Bethesda and beyond.
She’d pushed the board to take action against him, but “no one wanted to say anything. No one wanted to challenge Shipley. It was always the same thing — he’ll retaliate against our kids. I was always the one saying, ‘But we are paying the money, so why shouldn’t we be the ones that are in charge?’ ”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good questions from PP. Whitman rowing parent, it appears that you did not read the Post article from today? It makes very clear that the board parents knew perfectly well that there were several years worth of allegations from multiple girls discussing the toxic team environment, favoritism, and verbal abuse from Shipley. Even the lam-o investigator confirmed this in both of her investigations. It sounds like the board and investigator also knew there were allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior as well, if not the horrifying facts that have now come to light. The article made clear that there were 4 board members who had been there for years; they absolutely knew what was going on and absolutely bear blame for allowing Shipley to continue to have access to all these kids.

You say it wasn’t about the parents’ college admissions dreams for their girls, but I find that very hard to believe. Why else did parents allow him to turn a one-season club sport into an almost year round one with a schedule more grueling than most college programs? I’m not blaming you or any parent other than the ones on the board who willfully turned a blind eye to Shipley’s many abuses for what happened to the sexual assault victims. But I don’t understand how parents (or school officials) allowed the girls to participate in this clearly bizarre cult-of-Shipley situation year after year.

This type of favoritism is nothing new or different. I remember experiencing this type of toxicity growing up when I participated in various activities from sports, to dance, to theater. Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo has this same toxicity in their summer theater camps. Certain kids get favored treatment over others. It happens everywhere, and parents don't care. The ones who do and speak out are looked at like crazy loons.