WESTMINSTER, Vt. (AP) - The executive director of Kurn Hattin Homes says there will be an investigation into allegations of abuse of children decades ago.
Stephen Harrison said he was unaware of specific allegations until he was contacted by the Brattleboro Reformer. The thought of any children being harmed, even if it was 30 to 60 years ago, “is both horrific and heartbreaking,” he said.
A law firm that represented abuse survivors of Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics team doctor, is representing men and women who say they were physically and sexually abused at Kurn Hattin Homes for Children.
A group formed in the 1980s when an abuser was identified and later convicted and incarcerated in 1991. Harrison wrote that his predecessors thought they understood the scope of the abuse at the time.
A statement released Thursday by the law firm Andrus Wagstaff and A Case for Women indicates dozens of survivors have come forward. Some say the abuse was perpetrated by teachers and administrators.
“We plan to fully investigate these claims, and even though they allegedly happened 30 to 60 years ago, we vow to do all we can to uncover the truth, and if need be, help the survivors find the peace they seek and deserve,” Harrison responded Friday.
Kurn Hattin Homes was founded in 1894. The charitable home and school serves children ages 6 through 15 who have been affected by tragedy, social or economic hardship, or disruption in family life.
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