After an investigation into Milton Academy in February found that four employees engaged in “sexual misconduct” with students decades ago, more former students have come forward saying that they were victims of sexual abuse.
Six more former students contacted Milton to say that they were victims of sexual abuse or misconduct by Rey Buono, a drama teacher and head of the theater program who worked at the co-ed boarding school from 1973 to 1987, Milton said in a letter sent to the school community on Tuesday.
The school learned about these students’ experiences during a follow up investigation by T&M Protection Resources, a private security company that conducted the February investigation.
“As we shared in February, Milton learned from T&M’s investigation that a former faculty member, Rey Buono, sexually abused up to 12 students in the 1970s and 1980s, and that three other former faculty members engaged in sexual abuse or misconduct during that same time period,” the letter reads.
Following that investigation, 51 people contacted T&M regarding Milton, 14 of which with new or additional information agreed to be interviewed by investigators. Two people with new information also contacted the school directly.
“During T&M’s follow-up investigation, Milton learned that there were up to six additional student victims of sexual abuse or misconduct by Rey Buono during his employment at Milton,” the school leader reads. “As far as we and T&M could determine, Milton had no knowledge of these latest allegations until now.”
According to Milton, Buono is currently living in Southeast Asia. State and federal authorities, as well as his other employers, have been alerted about the sexual abuse allegations.
Since the start of the investigation, Milton has established a Healing and Safety Oversight Committee and worked with RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network).
“Any allegation of sexual abuse of students by former Milton employees is deeply troubling, and while we know that words alone cannot right these wrongs, on behalf of the School and the Board of Trustees, we want to apologize, again, very sincerely to the victims of this abuse,” the school said in the letter. “The school failed in its duty to protect these young people, and we acknowledge the pain this failure has caused victims and their loved ones.”
