Exeter Partners With Haven, EPD in MOUs

In the aftermath of highly publicized historical and current sexual assault allegations, the Academy has formalized memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the Exeter Police Department (EPD) and HAVEN, a seacoast-based crisis center affiliated with the New Hampshire Coalition of Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV).

"We wanted to take a leadership role, not only among schools, but perhaps with the legislature, which may want to address the gaps in existing law as well."

The updated memorandum established between the EPD and PEA on September 15 supersedes and replaces their previous agreement established on September 3, 2009. The new MOU stipulates that any and all suspected acts of sexual assault, regardless of legal classification or timing, shall be reported to New Hampshire’s Division for Children, Youth and Families and/or the  EPD. Furthermore, PEA will not undertake any investigation on reported incidents until cleared by an authoritative representative of the EPD.

The new MOU signals not only an enhanced partnership between Phillips Exeter and Exeter police, but collaboration with Rockingham County Attorney Patricia Conway.

According to stand-in General Counsel David Vicinanzo from Nixon Peabody law firm, who will take the place of attorney Holly Barcroft during her maternity leave, the most concerning flaw in the 2009 MOU was that it did not require the reporting of misdemeanor level of sexual assault; the law only references felony-level sex crimes.

Under New Hampshire’s Safe Schools Act, schools are not legally required to report misdemeanor-level sexual assault to police; the law only references felony-level sex crimes. However, the Safe Schools Act directly contradicts the state’s Child Protection Act, which mandates the reporting of suspected instances of child abuse and neglect.

“There were gaps in the MOU as it existed,” Vicinanzo said. “The idea was to enhance the existing MOU and make it better, so that it went beyond the mere requirements of the law. We wanted to take a leadership role, not only among schools, but perhaps with the legislature, which may want to address the gaps in existing law as well."

The past year’s media backlash against the Academy’s handling of campus sexual assault prompted a memorandum with Haven to better support sexual assault victims, beyond legal matters. “The memorandum with EPD previously did not have a lot to say about victim support or training to understand victims and survivors better, so we expanded the new MOU and the Haven MOU to be focused on best practices in preventing abuse and in supporting survivors," Vicinanzo explained.

By the memorandum’s terms, HAVEN agrees to make 24-hour crisis hotline services available to PEA students and employees, provide confidential crisis information, counseling, information and referral and accompaniment to medical and legal services as requested by students and employees.

For their part, the Academy agrees to provide training to PEA staff about HAVEN resources that are available to student and employee victims for sexual assault and reporting procedures for victims who wish to access HAVEN services.

Director of Student Well-being Christina Palmer expressed her satisfaction with both MOUs. “First and foremost our immediate response to victims is to provide support and now we offer the support of a Haven advocate, who is experienced in working with survivors of sexual assault,” she said.  “The MOU has allowed me to develop and strengthen relationships with the police, so when there are questions/concerns we can have an easy back and forth without misunderstanding.”

Last year, Principal Lisa MacFarlane retained the University of New Hampshire’s Prevention Innovations Research Center (PIRC), a nationally recognized research institution and innovator for which MacFarlane formerly served as its provost. PIRC developed strategies customized specifically for PEA, for improving education, prevention services and survivor support in the areas of sexual relationships, sexual abuse and relationship violence. Now the research and expertise of PIRC has helped develop a stronger support system for Exeter’s sexual assault survivors.

“PIRC researched the student body, along with current and historical policies and practices and now we have implemented their research and are putting it into practice,” Vicinanzo said. “We wanted to create a model for other schools to borrow from and we set the bar high -- a standard to make effective training and well-informed support for survivors, from both on-campus and off-campus sources, the basic norm.”

As Vicinanzo hoped, St. Paul’s School (SPS) in Concord, NH has already taken note of Exeter’s enterprise. Both SPS and PEA made national headlines in recent years for their handling of sexual misconduct allegations against students and former teachers. According to the Concord-based daily newspaper The Concord Monitor, St. Paul’s School and Concord police have established protocol for reporting campus sexual assaults, similar to the MOU between the Academy and the EPD.

Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for NHCADSV, commended the Academy for its comprehensive approach for prevention and response to campus-based sexual violence.

“PEA has left no stone unturned in their effort to keep their students safe and has deferred to the appropriate experts to ensure students and faculty have every resource at their disposal,” Sexton wrote in a public statement. “We are proud to see an institution in NH prioritize student safety and work with vigilance and intention to prevent future violence and abuse.”