In 2019, three Fairview High students pressed charges against the school’s then-star quarterback, Aidan Atkinson, for sexual assault and harassment. The criminal case went to trial a year later, ending with an acquittal on all but two harassment charges.
But as the case wrapped up, it launched a new era of scrutiny into a school culture that some say failed for decades to take steps to prevent sexual misconduct.
And despite principal turnover and several initiatives to change that culture, the 2022-23 school year kicked off last month with reports of a fresh wave of criminal and civil litigation involving sexual misconduct.
In 2019, three Fairview High students pressed charges against the school’s then-star quarterback, Aidan Atkinson, for sexual assault and harassment. The criminal case went to trial a year later, ending with an acquittal on all but two harassment charges.
But as the case wrapped up, it launched a new era of scrutiny into a school culture that some say failed for decades to take steps to prevent sexual misconduct.
And despite principal turnover and several initiatives to change that culture, the 2022-23 school year kicked off last month with reports of a fresh wave of criminal and civil litigation involving sexual misconduct.
