Campus Safety

Dear Punahou Community,

I write to share the following important announcement with you.
Thank you very much.

With aloha,

Michael E. Latham, Ph.D. ’86
President, Punahou School

Joint Statement on Settlement Between
Punahou School
and
Shawna-Lei Kuehu
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Mahina Macfarlane
Two Anonymous Victims
 

Punahou School and its alumni have settled all the cases involving the sexual abuse claims involving former basketball coach Dwayne Yuen. Punahou respects the courage of these victims to come forward and hopes that this can begin to provide a path toward healing. The school deeply and profoundly apologizes to these former students for the pain they suffered and welcomes the opportunity to learn from them as it continues its work to ensure the safety of its students. Providing for the well-being and safety of each student is Punahou’s highest priority, and we continue to dedicate ourselves to building the strongest culture of safety possible.

The victims and Punahou believe that all schools have a solemn responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of every child including protecting them from sexual abuse. Together, we dedicate ourselves to creating environments in which all children are safe from sexual predators and empowered to realize their full intellectual, physical and creative potential.

The victims wish to sincerely thank and express their gratitude to their ‘ohana, their friends, their many supporters and the unwavering support of many Punahou alumni who stood with them throughout this extremely difficult ordeal.

The victims ask the public to respect their privacy during this time. They and the school will not be sharing any further comments about the settlement beyond this statement.

Sincerely,

Punahou School
Shawna-Lei Kuehu
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Mahina Macfarlane
Two Anonymous Victims

Punahou is heartbroken and angered by a report of sexual misconduct raised by a graduate of the school against a Punahou teacher. The reported misconduct took place several years ago, when our graduate was then a high school student. Upon learning of these allegations, the school immediately notified law enforcement, suspended the teacher, barred the teacher from campus, and has since terminated the teacher’s employment. We are investigating this report, will continue full cooperation with law enforcement, and are committed to working with our graduate toward resolution.

June 18, 2020

Dear Punahou Community,

When families enroll their children at Punahou, they are entrusting their care to us, and we must do everything we can to be worthy of that sacred trust. As I wrote to you on April 28, the searing and horrific claims of sexual abuse that have been filed by several of our fellow alumni are a clear call to action. I regret that I cannot discuss the pending litigation, but as Punahou’s president I want you to know that our School is committed to pursuing the highest standards possible to ensure the safety of all who learn, play and grow here.

To that end, today, I am announcing the creation of the Advisory Council for Student Safety, a group of alumni, parents, and friends of the School, who will review Punahou’s work, identify best practices and discuss strategies for our continuous improvement. Most critically, this group will provide valuable feedback, perspectives and experience as Punahou develops and implements a fully integrated, publicly shared plan to promote student safety. The idea for this body was first brought to me by the alumni who organized the Na Pua o Punahou Facebook group, and I wish to thank them for it. In recruiting the initial members of the Advisory Council, I sought individuals with extensive professional experience and training in survivor advocacy, public health and organizational change, pediatrics, and independent school leadership and I am very grateful for their willingness to serve in this role. 

Each of these members will serve a two- or three-year voluntary term, lending their considerable talent and expertise to the betterment of our community. We will also create a structure to allow for the nomination of new members in the future and I look forward to talking with and recruiting those who may wish to serve. The group will meet four to six times per year, working directly with administrative leadership and our Community Care Response Team (CCRT), to discuss best practices and provide an external perspective to the School as we develop and implement our plan.

Punahou has taken important steps in the areas of student safety over the past two years. These include required sexual misconduct training for all faculty and staff; a mandatory reporting policy for allegations of abuse; the creation of a CCRT to ensure that allegations are reported to the police or Child Protective Services; and the establishment of trained positions for Community Care Liaisons within the CCRT who provide direct support to survivors and connect them with vital counseling resources. As I wrote to you in late April, I have also engaged the Freeh Group, a leading consultancy in school safety and security, to conduct a full audit of our work, and we will make those results available publicly.

Those efforts are an essential start, but now we must build on them to promote a wider culture which fosters healthy behaviors and work to create an environment in which we do everything we can to protect our students and to respond quickly and effectively to incidents if and when they should occur. This will require that we pursue a set of shared values and implement a fully integrated and publicly released plan to ensure accountability and promote student safety across our entire School. We will work toward implementing meaningful cultural shifts that further protect our students and that give them agency over their bodies and minds. Vital elements of this additional, systemic work will include:

Our work, moreover, will need to be continuous and perpetual. A one-off effort will not suffice.

Thank you very much for your continued engagement on this vital issue. With your support, I am confident that Punahou will meet this challenge and that we will emerge together as a stronger and better school for the benefit of all our children. Nothing, in my view, could be more important.

With aloha,

Michael E. Latham, Ph.D. ’86
President, Punahou School

April 28, 2020

Dear Punahou Community,

Over the past several days many of you have written to me to express your thoughts, perspectives, and emotions regarding the sexual abuse cases that have been filed by several of our fellow alumni. Some of you have offered support and encouragement, and others have expressed anger, frustration, and deep disappointment. I have endeavored to respond personally to as many of you as I can, but to reach all of you I have also decided to send this letter.

As Punahou’s new president, I share the feelings that many of you have so clearly conveyed. I am deeply saddened and depressed by the stories told by the survivors. As a father of two teenage daughters, these accounts also leave me at once incensed and horrified. As an alumnus and a former Punahou student athlete, I placed great trust in my teachers and coaches and was fortunate to experience priceless care, guidance, and support. The pain that the survivors have experienced is by contrast searing and awful, and I greatly admire their courage in coming forward now.

Last summer, I left my career as a college history professor, dean, and vice president and returned to Punahou because I love our school. More than any other institution I have ever been a part of, Punahou has shaped me into the adult that I am, and I am profoundly grateful for that. The steps that Punahou has taken over the past few years, including the implementation of mandatory sexual misconduct training, a mandatory reporting policy for abuse, and the creation of a Student Safety and Security Committee are necessary, but they are not sufficient. Punahou must now define the highest standards possible and hold all of our faculty and staff fully accountable as we fulfill our mission to educate our students in an environment of support, care, and trust.

The novelist William Faulkner once wrote that “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.” As a lifelong educator and professional historian, those words have often echoed through my mind. I believe they apply to Punahou’s current challenge as well. Many of you have asked why Punahou cannot be more transparent at this time, and you have described your disappointment with communications that leave fundamental questions unanswered. I fully understand that. The fact that we are currently in litigation necessarily constrains us in what we can say, but it doesn’t limit the degree to which I will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of this investigation. To that end, I have engaged the Freeh Group, the nation’s leading consultancy in the areas of school safety and security, whom we have worked with closely over the past two years, to conduct a comprehensive, independent audit of all our policies and practices in student and school safety. We will make the full results public and share them with this community. I also promise you that I will not rest until Punahou has reckoned fully and fearlessly with its past and its responsibilities. Nothing, I believe, will be more important for our future.

I still believe in a Punahou that educates young women and men who learn how to learn, who become leaders, and who make great contributions to the world acting with compassion, conscience, and commitment. I hope you will join me in the work required to make that Punahou a reality for all our children, and for everyone in our community.

With aloha,

Michael E. Latham, Ph.D. ’86
President, Punahou School

The Community Care Liaison (CCL) acts as a support, point of contact, resource and advocate for students who report sexual abuse or harassment.

A rapid response team of counselors and administrators to report allegations of abuse to the proper authorities

The Community Care Response Team (CCRT) is responsible for the management of cases related to allegations of abuse and harassment involving members of the Punahou School community. The CCRT is comprised of school principals, deans, faculty members, counselors and other school administrators, including a Community Care Liaison (CCL).

During the process of addressing a report of abuse, the CCRT will ensure that the victim’s safety is paramount and will provide or make referrals for other types of support as necessary. The team also involves the student’s family as the first line of response in dealing with sensitive matters.

The CCL assists students during the course of the CCRT’s response and conclusion of their review and any investigation that is conducted. The CCL also:

The CCRT and CCL assist with providing certain accommodations from Punahou School to address safety or privacy concerns, the impact of trauma or stress or scheduling conflicts that arise as a result of judicial or criminal proceedings. Punahou School will ensure that such accommodations are provided where appropriate.

Our team of counselors collaborate and consult with administration, school staff, teachers, psychologists and families to provide general guidance and faculty support to help students be successful at school. Counselors encourage, intervene and advocate for students experiencing personal, academic and developmental difficulties.

The Student Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) is charged with the creation, implementation and compliance of policies around student welfare and campus safety including:

Punahou employs a team of security guards who are a familiar and reassuring presence on campus. In addition to covering the campus and facilities, they assist visitors and direct traffic flow during peak times. The School also hires sheriffs as an added security measure.

A system of security cameras are installed across campus, located at campus entrances in addition to other strategic points, such as common gathering areas. None are located inside buildings. These cameras support ongoing safety planning and assist Security when an incident occurs.

On a large and open campus, each member of the campus community is encouraged to take campus safety seriously and support safety efforts. This includes driving safely and with aloha for others, respecting security and staff instructions while on campus, taking care of others on campus and being alert to unusual or potentially dangerous situations.

Campus Security can be reached by calling 944.5777.

Punahou has implemented a rigorous cyber security program to provide its students with the safest digital experience possible. This includes a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and other IT professionals on staff who are dedicated to ensuring that Punahou employs state-of-the-art practices related to online security. Some of the practices Punahou has instituted include: education-focused security tools, (such as Securly), on premises firewalls, restricted YouTube access, formal review of all applications and software prior to being used by students, phishing exercises, and more.

Punahou also proudly complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

Punahou School upholds the fundamental principle that every individual should be treated with dignity, respect and care.

We affirm that a school should be a place where students learn not only about the world around them, but about themselves — creating a strong social, emotional and ethical foundation that will shape their experiences here and throughout their lives.

This foundation is based on the core belief that every student should have the opportunity to learn in a safe and caring environment, free from harassment, bullying and unsafe or unethical behavior.

All members of our community — whether students, parents, guardians, faculty, staff, contractors or volunteers — play a vital role in the development of a healthy learning environment.

Punahou employees who have a reason to believe that child abuse or neglect has occurred or may occur in the reasonably foreseeable future must report the matter to Child Welfare Service or the Police Department.

In addition, Punahou employees may report information gained through the Punahou Community Helpline if they believe it is in the interest of the child and the community even if the information does not meet the reporting threshold of Hawaii’s mandatory reporting laws.

A third party, 24-hour-a-day hotline for anonymous reporting of sexual misconduct and abuse.