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Dear BCSD Administrators and School Board Members:

As concerned community members and BCSD alumni, we are writing to request an independent investigation of all the educator sexual abuse cases that have come to light, as well as those that remain in the shadows. Most recently, in March 2023, former Council Rock Primary School teaching assistant Leonard Ortiz Jr. was charged with receipt, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). During his time with the district, Ortiz worked with vulnerable students who were non-verbal or disabled. And in October 2022, Brighton High School physics teacher Louis Carusone was arrested and charged with receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material. In a review of materials seized from his residence, recordings of minor female students in his classroom were found on his cell phone.

Previously, in late 2019, two women filed lawsuits against former BCSD gym teacher and Brighton gymnastics coach Duncan Ververs. Starting when they were 12 and 13, they said, Ververs abused them hundreds of times at various locations, including then-Council Rock Elementary School. And in August 2020, Brighton High School graduate Tara Yellen told a reporter that Gary Wiener, a now-retired BHS English teacher and department head, engaged in abusive sexual encounters with her while she was a student at the school. (Wiener also worked for Pittsford and Greece school districts during his career.) Yellen filed suit against BCSD for failing in its duty to protect her, and in January 2023, she settled with the district for $1.75 million. More educator abuse allegations, not yet officially aired, continue to make the rounds in the Brighton community.

If other teachers and administrators were aware of what was happening to students, it appears their intervention was not sufficient to stop the abuse. Some accused teachers have remained employed at the district for years, potentially exposing other students to the risk of similar harm. 

Whenever sexual abuse of minors occurs, the consequences can be devastating and far-reaching. In recognition of this lasting impact on lives, New York’s Child Victims Act previously extended the statute of limitations for survivors to file claims against perpetrators. “Sexual crimes against children,” writes educational researcher Charol Shakeshaft, “result in damage that lasts well into adulthood in most children, and in the majority is never fully repaired.” 

These disturbing realities make it clear that the district needs to commission a full independent investigation into incidents of teacher sexual misconduct against students, to be followed by a report of corroborated findings. Such an investigation would demonstrate BCSD’s ongoing commitment to student safety and well-being. It would also demonstrate the kind of accountability and transparency that can promote healing for survivors and families.

The investigation we propose would have three main objectives: first, to document instances of past or current sexual abuse at district schools; second, to hold faculty and administrators accountable for any wrongdoing; and third, to draw on these findings to inform sexual abuse prevention strategies in the future. The first phase should involve outreach to community members who may wish to report abuse or share witness accounts. Those who report should be given the choice to keep their identifying information confidential in any public summary of findings.

For generations, BCSD has produced thinkers and doers who are ready to shine light wherever it is needed. We believe that a thorough accounting of educator abuse, along with concrete strategies to better protect students going forward, will help the district continue its proud legacy.

For more information or to support this effort, contact us at bcsdalumniresponse@gmail.com.