Solebury School
| Solebury School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Solebury Township | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent |
| Established | 1925 |
| Head of school | Tom Wilschutz |
| Grades | 7 - 12 |
| Enrollment | 235 total |
| Campus | Rural |
| Athletics conference | Penn-Jersey Athletic Association |
| Website | www.solebury.org |
Solebury School is a co-educational private boarding and day school located on a 90-acre (36 ha) campus in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania (near New Hope, Pennsylvania). Solebury School’s academic program features a college-preparatory curriculum, with courses and electives in various subject, with a focus on interdisciplinary and experiential education models.
Solebury School was conceived by Laurie Erskine, Julian Lathrop, Robert Shaw and Arthur Washburn in the early 1920s. It opened in September 1925 in a rented quarters with four boys and four teachers. A year later, the founders purchased Michener Farm, which remains the institution's site today. In 1949 the school merged with another local school, the Holmquist School for Girls, which had a similar educational philosophy and often shared events and productions. It became one of the first coeducational independent schools in the country.
Solebury is often described as a socially progressive or liberal institution. In the 1980s, local activist and noted anarchist Abbie Hoffman would give speeches to the student body. The school is vocally supportive of its LGBTQ students; it produced an entry for the It Gets Better Project in 2011 and has an active campus club which pertains to gender and sexuality. By participating annually in a local AIDS funraiser walk, Solebury School has raised thousands of dollars in fundraisers to benefit AIDS patients. Currently, students are required to complete between five and ten hours of community service each academic year.
After several alumni came forth with claims that they had been sexual abused as students at Solebury, the school issued a letter of acknowledgement and apology publicly online and to alumni by mail in 2014. In a second letter to alumni and parents, the school revealed one of its founders had a sexual relationship with a student. A Philly.com article detailed the school's view on the process:
"I know we unleashed a process when we sent that letter," [headmaster] Wilschutz said in an interview. But he said the school's goal was to help victims while living up to its values, including transparency. "When we were given this information, we took action," he said. "We believed the allegations. And we believe, as great a school as Solebury is, we have to live up to our past."
On January 26th, 2017, Bucks county published the results of a 2015 Grand Jury investigation detailing testimony considered credible by the District Attorney from six former students alleging sexual abuse at Solebury School from the 1950s through 2005, identifying nine living adults formerly connected with the school who could be prosecuted. The report was critical of the Solebury School's campus culture as facilitating the abuse.
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