Concerns arise regarding sexual harassment reports; Head of School responds

Thomas Chen, Yassin Mokbel, Murphy Miltner, Nabeeha Qadri, and Elizabeth Tuttle • May 6, 2025

Sexual assault and harassment policy updated last year

May 16, 2024

Current seniors and former leaders of Students Against Sexual Harassment Cerena Karmaliani and Serene Kalugdan introduced a three-page draft of the new sexual assault and harassment policy that had been in development for two years.

Administrators first began compiling the policy two years ago to replace the former, one-paragraph policy, which was deemed insufficient to address sexual assault and harassment.

The policy was developed in collaboration from various students, Karmaliani and Kalugdan being one of them.

That same day, all Upper School students read and provided feedback to the draft policy within advisory groups.

It was later released in the student handbook for the 2025-2026 school year.

Read more at “New sexual assault policy presented by Karmaliani and Kalugdan.”

In a message sent out to all upper school families on Friday afternoon, Head of School Luis Ottley addressed recent reports of alleged sexual harassment and misconduct. Making it clear that the administration is prioritizing the welfare of students, Ottley detailed their planned next steps to address the situation, including the assistance of law firm Fisher Phillips LLP to review the school’s sexual misconduct policy. The plan also includes conducting an employee and parent climate survey, with the help of a third party, in an attempt to survey the perspectives and recommendations of the community.

Ottley ended the message with confidence in the school’s ability to move forward, acknowledging that some feel the trust between students and administrators has been weakened, and committing to putting in the work to improve the relationship.

The current sexual harassment and assault policy in brief:

The policy addresses incidents of sexual harassment and misconduct that occur on campus during school-sponsored events, and off campus, during unsponsored events. It applies to all students, faculty, administrators and visitors.
The witness and/or victim must report (verbally or written) sexual harassment and misconduct to the dean of students and the principal. If the report involves school administration, it can be directed towards the Head of School or human resources. If the report involves the Head of School, it can be directed towards the Board of Trustees. The reporting party should provide as much information as possible regarding the incident, including the names of witnesses and evidence.

The protocol for addressing sexual harassment and misconduct heavily relies on fact-finding. This includes interviews with the person making the complaint, the alleged offender, and/or witness. This is to verify that harassment/misconduct actually occurred. Administration will update the reporting party with findings. All reports of this sort are kept confidential, but SPA cannot guarantee that members of the school community will not know the identity of the reporter or offender.
Temporary action includes, but is not limited to: a no-contact order, a referral to outside counseling and medical support, academic assistance, necessary safety measures, and suspension from campus, extracurriculars, and school-sponsored activities, on and off campus. Disciplinary action can result in the expulsion or termination of the alleged offender, loss of free periods/privileges, MSHSL consequences, a no contact order, suspension, detention and exclusion from school-sponsored events. A repeated offense could result in immediate expulsion or termination.

SPA THINKS: What are you thoughts on the recent plan to address concerns?

(Audrey Peltier)

Fiona Lambert

"I’m glad that they are making sure that everyone is aware of it and that they are giving us the most accurate information possible," said ninth-grader Fiona Lambert.
(Audrey Peltier)

Anneli Wilson

"I think that most students have lost trust in admin, and I think that this will affect the instances that are being reported going forward," said sophomore Anneli Wilson.
(Audrey Peltier)

Ella Bond

"I don't think that it was dealt with the best way it could’ve been I think that this will cause more division throughout the grades," said junior Ella Bond.
(Audrey Peltier)

Josepha Mody

"All of the steps that the email listed are for the future. There has been no immediate action," said sophomore Josepha Mody.
(Audrey Peltier)

Devi Nelson

"This instance has caused us to come together, like trauma bonded almost. Like everyone has been impacted by this," said junior Devi Nelson.

Updated 5/7: quotes were removed from the SPA Thinks that did not directly answer the question posed.
Updated 5/28: per administrative directive, the quotes from the Head of School were removed.

The Rubicon has turned off comments for this story. We welcome letters to the editor sent to rubiconstaff@spa.edu.

About the Contributors

Thomas Chen, Beats Manager

Thomas Chen (he/him) likes to fill his life with flavor. He enjoys exploring various local restaurants and trying new foods from all sorts of countries. His favorites are a variety of Asian dishes. He believes that food is the key to happiness and is passionate about exploring different cultures through their cuisine. Chen works as the Beats Manager for The Rubicon and RubicOnline, and can be reached at rubiconstaff@spa.edu.

Yassin Mokbel, A&E Editor

Yassin Mokbel [he/him] traveled to Egypt this past summer and goes there every summer to visit his family. He spent several days hanging out at the beach and swam in the Mediterranean Sea. Mokbel works as an A&E Editor on RubicOnline and can be reached at rubiconstaff@spa.edu.

Murphy Miltner, Photojournalist / Photo Editor

Murphy Miltner (she/her) is the photo editor on the RubicOnline. This is her second year on staff. In addition to Murphy’s role on staff, she is a captain of the varsity volleyball team and a player at Kokoro Volleyball. Murphy can be reached at rubiconstaff@spa.edu.

Nabeeha Qadri, Feature Editor

Nabeeha Qadri [she/her] loves to recreate food she’s tried at restaurants and coffee shops so she can have her favorite recipes every day for free. Qadri is confident in her ability to recreate most coffees, like the iced latte. She works as a Feature Editor on the RubicOnline and can be reached at rubiconstaff@spa.edu.

Elizabeth Tuttle, Sports Editor

Elizabeth Tuttle (she/her) can always be found playing soccer or participating in activities outdoors. This summer, she spent many hours in nature with both friends and family. One of her favorite memories was hiking along the river and watching the sunset with her friends. Tuttle works as a Sports Editor for the RubicOnline and can be reached at rubiconstaff@spa.edu.

Audrey Peltier, Social Media Assistant

Audrey Peltier (she/her) attended a summer program in Los Angeles for two weeks exploring the business side of sports and entertainment. She got the opportunity to visit Sofi Stadium and hold a 2022 Super Bowl Ring. She can be found swimming, playing lacrosse, and hanging out with friends and family. Peltier works as the Social Media Manager of RubicOnline to amplify student voice. She can be reached at rubiconstaff@spa.edu.