Former volleyball coach at Bronx private school accused of sexual misconduct with former student
The lawsuit also claims ECFS knew about the alleged misconduct and failed to act to protect the athletes.
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A volleyball coach at Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS) in the Bronx is being accused of sexual misconduct against a female student in the early 2000s.
A new lawsuit claims Collin Henry, who coached at the Fieldston private school for nearly two decades, used his position of authority to manipulate and rape a female student at between 2004 and 2006.
The anonymous plaintiff, who filed the 47-page complaint on Feb. 20 as “Jane Doe,” claims she was 16 years old when Henry started grooming her, which led to sexual assault and trafficking.
The now-36-year-old woman is a former student at ECFS, where she played volleyball for Henry when he was the head coach of the girls varsity volleyball team.
The lawsuit also claims ECFS knew about the alleged misconduct and failed to act to protect the athletes.
Henry declines News 12’s request for an interview on Monday, but he said by phone he has not been issued a lawsuit and denies any wrongdoing.
The plaintiff’s attorney also declined an interview but said she’d be releasing a statement.
ECFS declined News 12’s interview as well, but a spokesperson released the following statement:
“Last summer, we shared with the ECFS community that the school had recently received a complaint from a former student involving allegations that the head coach of the Girls Varsity Volleyball team engaged in misconduct in the early 2000s. Upon receiving the complaint, the school took immediate action: we prohibited the individual from any contact with ECFS students and from accessing the campus, and we retained an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Based on the preliminary findings of that investigation, we quickly terminated the individual’s employment. The safety and wellbeing of our students is our top priority, and ECFS acted quickly and appropriately to address this issue as soon as a concern was raised. Prior to this, the school had never received any complaints regarding inappropriate behavior by this individual. All ECFS employees, including full-time, part-time, and seasonal staff, undergo comprehensive background checks, including criminal background and fingerprinting. Additionally, all employees are annually trained in preventing abuse and misconduct as well as their responsibilities as mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect. We deny any assertion that we mishandled these allegations and will vigorously defend the school.”
