Dear San Francisco University High School Community,

We are writing this letter after reviewing a report that was released by The Branson School on Friday afternoon. This report identifies former Branson coach Rusty Taylor as being the subject of several substantiated reports of sexual misconduct toward Branson students during the 1970s.  As educators and parents, we are profoundly concerned and deeply saddened both for any student who may have been abused or harassed and for the betrayal of trust committed by a former school employee.

In light of the Branson report, we want to make you aware that Taylor was employed as a soccer coach and assistant director of athletics for SFUHS from 1979 until 2005 and briefly in 2015. Taylor was disciplined in the early ‘90s following complaints that he had engaged in harassing conduct toward two SFUHS students.  We are not aware of any complaints about Taylor’s conduct since he was disciplined in the early 90s.

We want to take this moment to encourage anyone with concerns about Mr. Taylor’s (or any other faculty or staff member’s) conduct while a SFUHS employee or volunteer to contact Julia Eells, our Head of School at Julia.Eells@sfuhs.org.  We will be setting up a hotline to receive calls from individuals who would like to remain anonymous. The hotline number will be posted with this letter on our website in the coming week.

We acknowledge the courage that it takes for survivors of abuse to come forward, and we promise to protect the privacy of anyone who reports information. If any reports are brought forward, the school is committed to investigate the reports with deepest compassion and will take swift and appropriate action in accordance with the law and following the guidelines outlined by the National Association of Independent Schools/TABS Prevention and Response report. “The independent school community cannot permit such a legacy
to occur. Indeed, it’s axiomatic that independent schools have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure that their students do not suffer harassment or abuse. Thus, it is incumbent on school leaders to recognize and acknowledge that abuse and misconduct can and do occur on independent school campuses, and it is imperative that schools take decisive steps to prevent and respond to educator sexual misconduct to the fullest extent possible.”

Providing a safe and nurturing learning environment for our students is paramount in realizing our mission, and our current policies and practices follow all relevant laws in response to any and all allegations of child abuse. Our faculty, staff, coaches and board have been trained in best practices and legal requirements regarding mandated reporting of suspected abuse, sexual harassment, and appropriate boundaries for adult interactions with students. We review and update our policies and training regularly, and our student-employee contact policy is posted on our website.

We are grateful for your support and partnership in our efforts to build and maintain a safe learning environment for our students and a compassionate and responsive community for our alumni.