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June 2, 2021

Dear Branson Community,

Yesterday, we received a civil complaint filed in the Superior Court of Marin County by an alumna against our school alleging sexual misconduct in the late 1980s by the school's volunteer assistant basketball coach at that time, Rich Manoogian. Mr. Manoogian left Branson in the early 1990s.

It is our policy not to publicly discuss the specifics of matters that are in litigation as we respect the legal process as well as the privacy of the former student who has filed this case. We have great sensitivity and compassion for this alumna, and we apologize to her – and to all survivors – for the pain they endured as a result of adult sexual misconduct at Branson.

As many of you know, in 2018, the Branson Board of Trustees authorized an extensive, thorough, and independent investigation by Nancy Kestenbaum and Clara Shin from Covington & Burling LLP into reports of historical sexual misconduct allegations from several alumni from the 1970's. Covington conducted a year-long investigation, culminating in a report to the community in April 2019. As stated in the report, Branson gave the investigators complete independence to determine which allegations of abuse were substantiated and who to name in their report. We sought to honor the survivors by conducting an open and transparent process and public acknowledgment of the abuse they experienced as students. We continue to offer financial support to alumni in need of counseling services through our Alumni Therapy Fund. Learn more.

Branson is a very different school from what it was in the 1970s and 80s. Since then, we have developed extensive policies, procedures and trainings to make our school safer and stronger and to prevent faculty or staff misconduct from occurring. Learn more.

We remain grateful for the courage of our graduates, who made the difficult decision to participate in the investigation, including the alumna who filed this lawsuit. Our goal is to work toward an equitable resolution of this case.

This has been a very challenging year and we appreciate the patience that our community has shown as we near the end of this school year. While we cannot discuss details about this case, should you have any questions about our current safety policies or procedures, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best,

Christina K. Mazzola

Head of School

Claudia Lewis

Board Chair