Message to the Tower Hill Community, March 7, 2014
Harry Baetjer, Head of School
Dear Tower Hill community,
I want to take this opportunity to share information stemming from the events of last fall. This update contains the latest developments since my letter last month.
As we stated in the fall, once the authorities had wrapped up their investigation as it related to Tower Hill, we would be able to proceed with our own independent investigation. The authorities have given us the green light to move forward with this, and we wanted to let you know that Kroll Advisory Solutions has been retained to conduct our investigation for Tower Hill School. Kroll, a leader in investigatory services, has undertaken numerous assignments on behalf of governmental, private and educational entities involving allegations of all types of misconduct. The objectives of our internal investigation will be to review and assess the school's hiring practices, in general and as they relate to the hiring of Dr. Wheeler; policies and procedures for suspected abuse; and Dr. Wheeler’s tenure at Tower Hill. The initial assessment and informational interviews have begun. We anticipate that the independent investigation will be completed by the end of the school year.
Improved and increased campus security, as you are aware, has been implemented, and the transition to the new entry procedures has been very smooth. In all likelihood, there will be other recommendations as a result of the comprehensive inspection of the campus completed last month by Remlu Inc., our security consultant. We expect to receive recommendations from the risk assessment by the end of this month.
The selection of the search firm that will be responsible for identifying a pool of candidates for the headmaster position is continuing. As soon as the board selects the search firm, we will update you on the process and the composition of the search committee. All segments of the school community will have the opportunity to share thoughts and opinions as the search develops. A new head will take office in July of 2015.
Finally, Dr. Wheeler's trial date has been set for May 20. Prior to the trial, there will be court proceedings in his case, and it is possible that a plea agreement could be reached. We expect that there will be media coverage about the case at these times. We will keep you updated as we learn new information.
Thank you again for your continued support of the school. If you have any questions about these announcements, please feel free to contact me at hbaetjer@towerhill.org.
On behalf of the faculty and staff, I want to wish everyone a safe, healthy and restful spring break.
Sincerely,
Harry Baetjer, Head of School
