Dear Saint Ann’s Community,
In December, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP released the findings of their investigation into the hiring and tenure of former Saint Ann’s employee Winston Nguyen. The information presented in the report was deeply disturbing. It also provided a blueprint for our path forward by identifying areas we can improve as part of our commitment to the Saint Ann’s community. In the months leading up to the release of the report, and since receiving it, school leadership has been closely reviewing and fortifying our policies and procedures related to the hiring, training, and supervision of employees; how we keep children safe; and how we communicate, both within the School and to our community.
Saint Ann’s is committed to strengthening our school’s policies and procedures. Equally essential is creating a culture of accountability where every adult understands that protecting children’s well-being is a shared responsibility. Moving forward, we will ensure that policies are not just written, but actively upheld, with clear expectations, regular training, and meaningful oversight at every level. Supervisors will be responsible for monitoring adherence to professional boundaries and school policies, and leadership will consistently review and reinforce these expectations. We are also reinforcing structures for concerns to be raised and addressed promptly and transparently, with appropriate consequences when standards are not met. Accountability will not be optional—it will be a core part of how we maintain the trust placed in us by our students and families.
Below, you will find an executive summary of how we are strengthening and reinforcing school policies and procedures. To view a more detailed response to the report from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, please click here. This Appendix includes all relevant school policies from the Faculty and Staff Handbook and the Student and Family Handbook.
Saint Ann’s children are critical thinkers with powerful voices. Our children don’t stop questioning the world around them. They are empathetic and creative lifelong learners. They make the world beautiful. Nothing is more important than the physical and emotional well-being of these children in our care. I commit, not only to these plans, but to the ongoing and necessary work of maintaining a safe and nurturing school for all of our students. We will center our children and our commitment to creating a joyful and dynamic learning environment.
Yours,
Kenyatte
Executive Summary
School leadership has taken decisive steps to review, strengthen, and formalize policies and practices to better ensure student safety, enhance accountability, and improve communication across the community.
Recommendations and Actions:
–Saint Ann’s will enhance external and internal hiring procedures, including third-party verification of degrees, thorough reference and employment checks, and standardized processes for internal candidates.
–New steps include mandatory supervisor references for internal applicants (this step already exists for external applicants) and conducting public online searches on all candidates for information specifically related to the job duties.
–If a background check for a prospective employee reveals a criminal history, the School will assess whether or not the criminal history of the candidate endangers (or has the potential to endanger) the well-being of our students or violates any policies outlined in the Faculty and Staff Handbook. And if so, the prospective employee will not be hired.
–School leadership will incorporate boundary training into meetings and training throughout the year, in addition to the existing mandatory training at the beginning of each academic year.
–Any concern about adult-to-student boundary crossing must be immediately reported to the appropriate Division Head, the Dean of Faculty, or the Head of School.
–The School is committed to building and sustaining a culture of prevention, trust, and accountability. School leadership will center students’ needs and consistently strive to ensure a safe, nurturing, and dynamic environment where all children can thrive.
–The School will audit and reevaluate our policy on private instruction with a continued focus on transparency about tutorials involving a Saint Ann’s student. We will share updates to this policy in the 2025–2026 school year.
A formal political campaign policy was introduced in 2024–2025 to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
–A new evaluation system for Department Chairs, who supervise all faculty in 4th–12th grade and specialty teachers, will be introduced through a tiered approach: a review checklist will be used during the 2025–2026 school year with a full review system implemented by 2026–2027.
–Our training and mentorship programs for new teachers continue to provide comprehensive support and feedback during an employee’s first three years at the School.
–A new key management system has been implemented, with future plans to explore a digital key card system.
–The School is mindful of a need to improve communications across constituencies to build and maintain trust. To that end, the School will continue to work diligently to find ways to strengthen communications throughout our community. Strengthened structures to improve communications and foster strong parent/guardian partnerships include listening sessions and multiple pathways for concerns to be heard.
–A Crisis Communication Plan has been formalized to guide leadership’s response to all crises with the goals of clarity, compassion, and transparency.
Fortifying a culture of accountability
As a school, our primary purpose and our moral responsibility is to nurture and protect our children above all else. Ensuring that our policies are as strong as they can be, and making sure they are universally upheld, are essential practices to fortify our children’s safety. However, protecting the children in our care is about more than policies—Saint Ann’s must fortify a culture of prevention and accountability. This work cannot be conveyed in an email; it must be seen and felt every day. School leadership is committed to fostering an educational environment that strives to ensure that every child will be cared for, celebrated, and safe.