Reply to Stone Ridge email today re abuse lawsuit

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[quote=Anonymous]Dear Stone Ridge Community, 
 
For 100 years, Stone Ridge has endeavored to provide for our students a loving and safe community and to respect the dignity of all entrusted to our care.
 
So it is with a heavy heart that we must share some difficult news. A lawsuit has recently been filed against Stone Ridge – under Maryland’s new Child Victims Act – alleging that a past student who attended in the 1970s was a victim of sexual abuse during her time at the School. The accused individual, Margaret Daley, was a Religious of the Sacred Heart while she worked at Stone Ridge, but subsequently left the order. She has not worked for Stone Ridge for almost fifty years and is now deceased. Regardless of the time that has elapsed, it is our responsibility to cultivate an environment in which all of our students– past, present and future– know they are safe, respected, and heard. The details of this allegation are not only deeply concerning, they are antithetical to the values we espouse.
 
We have a duty to respect the privacy of our former student, and it would not be appropriate to share additional details of the allegation. We want to reassure you, though, that we seek to approach the matter with the highest level of care and compassion. 
 
Please know that no current students or families have raised concerns about sexual misconduct at Stone Ridge. Protecting the safety, welfare, and health of our students is our sacred duty. Stone Ridge maintains robust child protection policies and procedures. Among other things, these include conducting reference and criminal background checks on applicants for employment, as well as training all employees on mandated reporting, maintaining boundaries, and abuse prevention. We work diligently to create a culture of mutually respectful relationships between adults and our students, and we encourage our students to freely raise concerns to any trusted adult. 
 
As Head of School in a community that I hold so dear, my door is open to any alumnae if there is something about your experience at Stone Ridge about which you would like the School to know. Please know that you will be greeted with sensitivity, compassion, and open arms. I have set up a private, separate email account so that any messages regarding this matter can be prioritized in my inbox: ——- If, for any reason, any alumnae would like to share something about their experience at Stone Ridge with the School but would prefer not to speak directly with me, the School has engaged an experienced third party, Julie Freudenheim of T&M USA LLC, who is available to receive information via email at——— 
 
We thank you for your support and the assurance of your commitment to work with us to build and maintain a healthy and safe environment for all our community members. Our counselors, as always, are available to work with our students if any of them would like to speak with them or any parent who might need help in speaking with their children.
 
In closing, as with all things, we turn to our faith to guide us through this difficult time. Our prayers go out to all involved in this matter, and to all survivors of sexual abuse. May we unite together as a Sacred Heart community to pray for peace and healing.
 
Sincerely,

Catherine Ronan Karrels '86
Head of School 
 
Eileen C. Mayer '70
Chair of the Board of Trustees
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