Multiple Cases of Sexual Misconduct Uncovered
Several past cases of sexual misconduct were brought to light over the course of the school year, including former history instructor Richard Schubart’s sexual misconduct with two students in the 1970s and 80s, former art instructor Steven Lewis’ misconduct with a student in the 80s and former admissions officer Arthur Peekel’s two counts of sexual assault against Lawrence Jenkens ’77. All three faculty members admitted to their cases and—if not already—were barred from campus. Since Peekel later moved out of state, the statute of limitations on his case was suspended. The Exeter Police Department released him on a $25,000 bail and set his arraignment for July 5.
The school publicly disclosed Schubart’s misconduct on March 30, the day after The Boston Globe inquired about the two cases. Later, on the same day, The Boston Globe published the article titled, “Ex-teacher barred from prestigious N.H. school.” This article detailed the Academy’s response to the allegations against Schubart.
“This type of unacceptable behavior is incredibly hurtful and damaging both to any victim and to the communities in which we live. It is also antithetical to our values of respect, empathy and compassion.”
Schubart was first accused of sexual misconduct in 2011. He was immediately required to retire and was removed from academy housing. However, at the time, former principal Thomas Hassan did not inform the community of the case; the community treated Schubart’s leave like a normal retirement. In 2015, a second victim came forward, after which Schubart was stripped of his emeritus status and was banned from campus and all Exeter events.
Following this, several other allegations surfaced. The Exeter police department investigated these allegations, leading to Lewis’ case. He admitted to sexual contact with a student in the 80s and was subsequently fired and barred from campus.
In an interview with The Exonian following the publicization of Schubart’s misconduct, Principal Lisa MacFarlane noted the tragic nature of the situation and the impact it would have on Exeter. “It’s a really hard day for Exeter and it makes me very sad...This information is incredibly sad for many people in the community,” she said.
When Lewis’ firing was announced, President of the Trustees Nicie Panetta expressed sadness, but also acknowledged the opportunity given to improve Exeter as an institution. “This is a challenging time for Exeter, a time of hard reckonings, but we also have a chance now to try to get right with past wrongs,” she said.
Community members reacted to the cases with shock and grief. Many alumni took to Facebook to help each other confront the sexual misconduct that had occurred at the Academy and to find closure and emotional healing, forming a closed group called Processing PEA.
Along with many other posts expressing a similar sentiment, Seisei Tatebe-Goddu ’01 posted on Facebook concerning the Schubart case, saying, “Rick Schubart is human and flawed and behaved in ways that had terrible, terrible consequences. And for that we should all feel an immense, heavy sadness.” Other alumni used the Facebook group to share their own experiences with sexual assault at Exeter.
On March 31, Jenkens posted on Facebook, alleging that Peekel had sexually assaulted him after inviting him to stay in his home during his revisit. Once the Academy found Jenkens’ post, they passed the information onto the Exeter Police. He accused Peekel of assaulting him in the fall of 1973, when Jenkens had been visiting the Academy as a prospective student. Jenkens had immediately informed the school of the incident that fall, but the school did not report the incident to the police at the time. The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team published an investigative piece titled “Private schools, painful secrets” on May 6, highlighting sexual abuse at many New England boarding schools. While addressing the cases involving Schubart and Lewis, the article also detailed Jenkens’ allegations against Peekel. Peekel later turned himself in to the Exeter Police on May 13.
The Academy hired national law firm Holland and Knight to investigate any allegations of sexual misconduct received by the school following March 30 and to review the school’s current policies and procedures. The Trustees hired Diana Lloyd of the Choate, Hall & Stewart law firm to lead a review of Exeter’s handling of the Schubart case. The school partnered with victims’ assistance organizations to address the needs of victims and their loved ones.
In addition, the Academy administration and the Counseling and Psychological Services jointly organized boundary training sessions. These sessions are typically offered in August before the school year begins, but were instead organized in the middle of the school year, a month after the Schubart case was made public. The sessions were designed to train faculty and staff to understand how to draw appropriate lines between professional and personal student-faculty relationships. The hour long training sessions were offered on Monday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 7 at 9:00 a.m. in the Elting Room, the Forum and Grainger respectively.
Throughout the cases, the Academy assured the Exeter community that they valued transparency. In a letter informing alumni of Schubart’s misconduct, MacFarlane made clear that sexual misconduct has no place in the Exeter community and would not be tolerated in any way. “Sexual misconduct by a trusted adult is particularly harmful, and is wholly contrary to the mission and foundation of our school. These offenses, though decades old, are the antithesis of what we stand for as a school. Any violations of the safety, trust and well-being of members of our school community are unacceptable,” she said.
She expressed a similar sentiment in a letter posted online on May 8 following the publicization of the Spotlight team’s expose and the disclosure of allegations against Peekel. “There is no greater priority for Phillips Exeter Academy than to ensure a safe environment for our students, free of sexual abuse and harassment in all its forms,” MacFarlane said.
Addressing students, MacFarlane once again emphasized that sexual misconduct has no place at Exeter. “This type of unacceptable behavior is incredibly hurtful and damaging both to any victim and to the communities in which we live. It is also antithetical to our values of respect, empathy and compassion,” she said.
As the year closes, no additional allegations have been revealed. However, the community will continue to respond and discuss the issue of sexual assault.