St. Paul’s School Investigations Highlight Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Former Faculty and Staff

A series of independent investigations into St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, substantiated sexual misconduct allegations against former faculty and staff members, documenting alleged conduct that included inappropriate sexual contact, sexual relationships with students, and sexual assault. The school-commissioned investigation began with a 73-page report released by Casner & Edwards LLP in May 2017, followed by supplemental reports in September 2017 and August 2018, after additional former students came forward with allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct at the boarding school.

Initial St. Paul’s School Sex Abuse Investigation Substantiated Allegations Against 13 Former Employees

St. Paul’s retained Casner & Edwards in 2016 to investigate reports that current and former faculty and staff members may have engaged in sexual misconduct involving students. The investigation examined dozens of allegations and initially focused on alleged conduct occurring between 1948 and 1988.

In their May 2017 report, investigators substantiated sexual misconduct allegations against 13 former faculty and staff members. The report also identified what investigators called “Other Reports of Sexual Misconduct” involving 10 former employees at the boarding school. 

Allegations involving another 11 current and former employees could not be substantiated because investigators determined that there was insufficient information available to independently verify them. Investigators emphasized that an unsubstantiated allegation did not necessarily mean the alleged conduct did not occur.

Reports examined by investigators concerned alleged conduct by adults serving in a wide range of roles at the school, from classroom teachers and coaches to administrators, counselors, and members of the clergy. The allegations ranged from inappropriate sexual contact and harassment to sexual relationships with students and alleged sexual assault.

Additional Reports Expanded the St. Paul’s Sexual Misconduct Investigation

The initial report in May 2017 did not mark the end of the sexual abuse investigation. Additional former students came forward after its publication, leading Casner & Edwards to continue investigating allegations involving St. Paul’s faculty and staff.

A supplemental report released in September 2017 documented additional allegations received after the initial investigation. Casner & Edwards then released a second supplemental report in August 2018, further expanding the documented history of alleged sexual misconduct at St. Paul’s School.

Together, the May 2017 report and the two supplemental reports addressed alleged misconduct spanning from 1948 through 2009. Across all three investigations, allegations of sexual misconduct were raised involving more than a dozen former St. Paul’s employees. The reported conduct included allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault, inappropriate sexual relationships, and rape.

Former St. Paul’s Faculty Named in Sexual Misconduct Investigation

Among the former faculty and staff members connected to substantiated allegations in the initial St. Paul’s School investigation were Edward Lawrence “Larry” Katzenbach III, Jose A.G. “Senor” Ordonez, and former Reverend Howard Willard “Howdy” White Jr.

Edward Lawrence “Larry” Katzenbach III 

Edward Lawrence “Larry” Katzenbach III spent more than two decades at St. Paul’s, teaching English and history from 1971 until 1995. During his tenure, he also worked with students as a debate coach, student council faculty advisor, and leader of the Advanced Studies Program. Investigators classified 10 reported acts of sexual misconduct involving Katzenbach as substantiated. The allegations included inappropriate sexual contact, sexual relationships with students, exposing himself, and making propositions to female students.

Jose A.G. “Senor” Ordonez 

Jose A.G. “Senor” Ordonez had a lengthy career at St. Paul’s, where he taught history from 1952 to 1987 and also worked as a cross-country coach and, later, the school archivist. Investigators classified seven reported instances of sexual misconduct involving male students as substantiated. The Casner & Edwards report also referenced an earlier inquiry in which Ordonez reportedly admitted to sexual conduct involving students. Those findings described alleged misconduct involving multiple students, including sexual behavior that reportedly continued for extended periods during the 1980s.

Former Reverend Howard Willard “Howdy” White Jr.

Former Reverend Howard Willard “Howdy” White Jr. worked at St. Paul’s from 1967 to 1971 as a chaplain and sacred studies teacher and also served as an assistant house master. Among the allegations examined by investigators was an account from a former student who alleged that White repeatedly sexually abused him at age 15 during a six-week summer trip, including alleged rape. Years after leaving St. Paul’s, White pleaded guilty to criminal sexual abuse charges connected to his tenure at St. George’s School in Rhode Island. Those criminal charges involved separate conduct and were not related to the allegations investigated at St. Paul’s.

Decades of Sexual Misconduct Allegations at St. Paul’s

The Casner & Edwards investigations ultimately presented a broader picture of alleged sexual misconduct at St. Paul’s than was documented when the inquiry began. Across the initial report and two supplemental reports, investigators examined allegations stretching from 1948 through 2009 and involving teachers, coaches, clergy members, counselors, administrators, and other school employees. The successive findings also demonstrated that the school’s historical sexual misconduct concerns were not confined to a single period or individual, but involved allegations against multiple adults who held positions of authority over students.