Mount St. Mary parents demand answers following reports of sexual assault at school

Jan. 28—Parents of students who attend Mount St. Mary Catholic High School are demanding answers from top administrators and threatening to allow their children to stage a demonstration after The Oklahoman reported numerous alleged victims of sexual assault said the prestigious private school ignored alleged abuse for years.

Amid allegations female students were harmed by other students and at least one coach, the school's principal Talita DeNegri resigned, an independent investigation was launched and school officials promised to bolster policies and procedures related to mandatory reporting of abuse.

However, alumni and school supporters demanded more answers in a recent letter to the Board of Trustees, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and The Sisters of Mercy — Mercy Education System of the Americas.

Now, some parents are formally demanding answers, and threatening to allow their students to protest, according to a letter obtained by The Oklahoman that was set to be delivered to school administrators Friday, Jan. 28.

"The recent media accounts of the Mount administration's sexual assault scandal and your correspondence addressing the matter have caused we parents and guardians of current MSM students to be alarmed at your lack of transparency concerning the findings of the Board's investigation and your reluctance to hold accountable the remaining perpetrators among the Mount's administration and staff," the letter to interim Principal Diane Floyd and Board of Trustees Chairman Daniel Carsey says.

DeNegri, who is also a former Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, resigned in late December. Carsey immediately followed DeNegri's resignation with a letter to the school community, saying the independent investigation revealed the school had failed to take action "consistent with its core beliefs and values" regarding allegations of sexual harassment and assault of a student.

Nearly a month later, the letter signed by 11 parents and dozens of supporters as of Thursday, says the independent investigator's report has not been disclosed, and there has been no public confirmation of the investigation's findings, determinations or conclusions.

The board has only ambiguously acknowledged the school's failure in handling reports of sexual misconduct among students, according to the letter signed by parents.

"In the three weeks that have followed Mr. Carsey's initial correspondence and the December 31, 2021Oklahoman article initially breaking the story, we have not been made aware of any additional resignations or terminations of involved Mount staff," the parent letter says. "However, we continue to receive communications from you to the effect MSM is 'moving forward' with 'initiatives' to give 'voice to human dignity' through re-worked policies, increased training and assembly of a task force."

Parents look for answers, issue demands to Mount St. Mary Catholic High School

Following a Jan. 23 story by The Oklahoman, in which several alleged victims shared stories of sexual assault at the school, Floyd sent a letter to the school community saying she and board are "committed to listening to the voices of victims and involving our community as we renew our commitment to our mission and values."

"Additionally, we are all resolved to ensure our policies, words, and actions reflect our mission and our Catholic social teaching honoring the dignity of the human person," Floyd wrote. "We must have standards and protocols that ensure everyone in our community — students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff — feel safe, recognized and protected at Mount St. Mary."

Floyd wrote that the school will draw upon the expertise of legal professionals, law enforcement, social services and educational professionals "to make sure we get it right."

Parents, however, say in their letter the school has not "identified what happened, who did it, and what corrective measures have been taken to assure those same people aren't given opportunity to repeat whatever it was that caused the 19-year principal to up and resign in the middle of the school year."

They also issued three demands in the letter: make the independent investigation report publicly available or publicly confirm the accuracy of The Oklahoman'sJan. 23 article; publicly apologize to all victims whom the school's administration failed to properly regard and assist; and commit to "fair and honest evaluation of all those who participated in disregarding the voices of the victims, including appropriate employment action."

Parents said absent a public statement from the school by Monday, Jan. 31 confirming a commitment to their demands, children intend to participate in a peaceful demonstration at the school Tuesday, Feb. 1.

"By operating as you have to date, you have done little but pay lip service to the victims of the Mount's disregard and have otherwise made a mockery of any idea that you are committed to giving a voice to our children's inherent human dignity," the letter says.

Josh Dulaney covers a variety of news subjects for The Oklahoman. If you have a news tip or story idea regarding this story or others and would like to share with him, you can reach him at jdulaney@oklahoman.com.

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