EASTHAMPTON — The Williston Northampton School has found credible claims that a late former headmaster, Robert Ward, engaged in sexual misconduct with students during his 1970s tenure at the school.
An investigator hired by Williston this year found four credible firsthand accounts from alumni of sexual misconduct perpetrated by Ward while he was headmaster, school leaders announced this week. The investigation also found several secondhand accounts of inappropriate sexual behavior by Ward, who led the Easthampton private college preparatory school from 1972 to 1979. Ward died in 1986.
“The four firsthand reports indicate that Mr. Ward violated the standards of professional boundaries, standards that would have been in effect at the time, and standards that are universally understood today,” according to a letter released Monday and signed by Robert Hill III, head of school, and John Hazen White Jr., president of the school’s board of trustees.
No further information on the accounts was released.
Williston Northampton spokeswoman Ann Hallock said there are several named tributes in Ward’s honor on campus, including a building. The Robert A. Ward Schoolhouse is a former factory that now houses classrooms and administrative offices which include the offices for the head of school, dean of students, academic dean and the dean of faculty.
Hallock said the school and the trustees will evaluate whether to remove these tributes.
“While Mr. Ward is deceased, Williston has an enduring commitment to our alumni and a deep and abiding respect for those who came forward,” she said. “Further, we are fully committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment in which all students feel completely comfortable reporting any type of inappropriate behavior.”
The investigator also received two separate eyewitness reports about other former faculty members committing misconduct in the 1970s.
“One alumna reported that a faculty member had a sexual relationship with the alumna’s brother while he was a student at Williston,” the letter states. “Another alumna reported that a faculty member had an ongoing sexual relationship with her roommate.”
There were other second-hand reports of inappropriate misconduct and another involved conduct occurring a number of years after the student had graduated, according to the school. However, no firm conclusions were reached, the school said.
This year’s probe was prompted by an investigation through the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut, where Ward worked as a guidance counselor and English teacher from 1960 to 1965.
In January, Loomis Chaffee reported that investigators received credible reports that Ward “sexually assaulted and made advances toward students in the 1960s.”
From 1968 to 1973, Ward served as dean and assistant dean of Amherst College. The college describes Ward as a favorite with students and an “inveterate rhymester” who responded in verse when a student complained.
The Robert Appleby Ward ’57 Memorial Room at the school is named in recognition of the generous gifts to the college made in memory of Ward.
“We are aware of the Williston announcement involving Robert Ward,” Amherst College spokeswoman Caroline Hanna said in an email. “We received no reports of issues during his time at Amherst.”
Williston Northampton conducted a similar investigation in 2015 and found a faculty member engaged in sexual misconduct with a student in the late 1970s. He was placed on administrative leave in April 2015 while the investigation took place.
“We have invested in extensive faculty and staff training and education about appropriate boundaries, routinely conduct rigorous background checks, and have a clearly articulated mandatory reporting process in place,” Hallock said. “We continue to make this an ongoing institutional priority, and continually examine best practices to ensure a safe environment for all members of our community.”