The Marlborough School announced Monday that it has reached a settlement with an unnamed former student who was sexually abused by Joseph Koetters, her English teacher.
The settlement, whose terms are confidential, came just before the case was set to go to trial and one month after the school settled with Chelsea Burkett, 33, who also was sexually abused by Koetters when she was a teenager. The women sued Marlborough for failing to protect them from sexual abuse.
“I hope that our schools will take real steps to shut down predatory behavior from here forward, so that no other girls will have to go through what Chelsea and I have gone through,” the unnamed former student said in a statement. “This case should serve as a warning to educators that ignoring their responsibilities to the children in their care can result in serious consequences. I hope that the protection of students starts to take priority over the need to protect a school’s reputation.”
Priscilla Sands, who heads the prestigious Hancock Park all-girls school, sent out news of the settlement to people affiliated with the school.
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