Conn. Boarding School Accused Of Not Reporting Sexual Assaults Of Students

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) - A federal lawsuit says officials at the exclusive Indian Mountain School in Salisbury did nothing as students were sexually assaulted and blackmailed into keeping silent.

Former student Peter Buck claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday he was sexually abused and assaulted dozens of times by three school officials, including English teacher Christopher Simonds, from 1982 to 1984.

Buck's attorney, Antonio Ponvert, said other faculty knew of the assaults, but no one ever alerted authorities.

"It reminds me very much of the movie 'The Stepford Wives' because there is literally a conspiracy of school officials, faculty all keeping this pedophile protected and closeted and able to continue to molest these children," Ponvert told WCBS 880's Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.

Ponvert said the boys were photographed during the assaults and the accused threatened to expose them if they told anyone of what was going on.

Mark Devey, Indian Mountain's head of school, said administrators recently notified the school community they are investigating to identify alumni who were victims while students.

He says the school is taking the allegations very seriously.

A federal lawsuit was filed in October by another former student who claims routine abuse of students at the hands of staff, including sex assaults by the now-deceased headmaster.

Indian Mountain School is a private boarding and day school for children in kindergarten through grade 9.

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