Ex-prep school teacher, priest accused of sexually abusing minors

A teacher at a prestigious Westchester private prep school has been accused of sexually abusing minors while acting as a priest at religious schools decades ago.

News 12 Staff

Feb 11, 2019, 2:22 AM

Updated 1,899 days ago

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Ex-prep school teacher, priest accused of sexually abusing minors
A teacher at a prestigious Westchester private prep school has been accused of sexually abusing minors while acting as a priest at religious schools decades ago.
The Masters School, in Dobbs Ferry, is the latest to be rocked by allegations of priests and sexual abuse.
English teacher Robert Cornigans was revealed last month as one of 50 priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors, according to a list released by the Jesuit order.
The allegations stem from when the 68-year-old Dobbs Ferry resident was teaching at private religious schools in Boston and then Fairfield, Connecticut in the late 1970s.
According to The Masters' website, Cornigans joined the faculty in 2004, teaching in the upper school, and even receiving the school's prestigious Thatcher award just a few years ago.
Last month, after the Jesuit list came out, Corrigans was reportedly forced to resign.
The Masters School acknowledged the allegations in a letter to parents saying it has “a zero tolerance police for any child abuse or any inappropriate adult-student relationships.” It said once it found out about the allegations, Cornigans gave in his resignation and was moved off campus immediately.


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