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Student Safety

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At Branson we take student safety and well-being seriously.

Protecting the safety, health, and well-being of our students is, and always will be, our primary concern each and every day. In the last few years, Branson's release of the Covington Report and response to alumni allegations of sexual misconduct on campus in past decades have thrown an even brighter spotlight on the need to protect our students from sexual assault and misconduct.

We have responded by strengthening our policies, protocols, support systems, and training in an attempt to assure that such misconduct will not happen on campus in the future. On this page, you can learn more about the ways we are protecting and supporting our current students and alumni.

Our Commitment to Awareness, Prevention, and Healing

Covington Report

In June 2018, three alumnae from the 1970s reported they were sexually abused by a former employee at the school while they were students at Branson. School administration immediately reported two of the alleged incidents to local law enforcement agencies in a manner that protected their anonymity. The third alumna reported the sexual abuse of the former Branson employee directly to the police herself, and Branson followed up with a report.

The Branson Board of Trustees retained two attorneys from the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into these reports, as well as subsequent abuse claims, and provided them full access to Branson's files, records, and personnel.

The Covington Report, published and publicly released in April 2019, details the findings of this investigation. Read the report here.

Reporting Sexual Misconduct at Branson

We respectfully encourage anyone who is experiencing, has experienced, or is aware of, any sexual misconduct by any faculty or staff member or student during their time at Branson to please contact Michelle Jones, Branson's Director of Human Resources, at michelle_jones@branson.org or 415-455-7126.

The identity of anyone who reports this information will be handled as confidentially as the reporter wishes, and will not be shared without the reporter's consent – except as mandated by law or where, in counsel's judgment, a report should be made to protect a minor from harm.

Resources at Branson

For further information about any of the content on this page, or to report an incident at Branson, please contact:

Resources

Local and national resources for survivors of sexual abuse or assault

Local Resources

National Resources

  • Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): rainn.org
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673
  • National Sexual Violence Resource Center: www.nsvrc.org
  • Information on male sexual abuse: malesurvivor.org