One week after a Tower Hill School administrator was fired and banned from campus following child pornography charges filed against him, the school still has not made a public statement.
Instead, Head of School Elizabeth Speers sent another message to the “Tower Hill community” on Sunday, stating that “the ongoing investigation and press coverage have yielded additional questions that should be addressed.”
According to Speers, the school learned about the investigation into William Ushler, the director of Upper School admissions, on the morning of April 19. Then, in the “late afternoon,” Speers said the school was notified that Ushler would be charged.
BACKGROUND:How a Tower Hill School administrator was caught with child porn — and what comes next
Tower Hill School was unable to get the “full information” on the charges until after their announcement of Ushler’s arrest and firing on April 20, Speers wrote. It is unclear why the school waited to notify parents until Wednesday or how long they had the case details prior to sending Sunday’s email.
According to court records, Ushler used a Yahoo email account to send child sexual abuse material – a term preferred by activists to emphasize the exploitative nature of the explicit images and videos – to himself about 15 times between August 2018 and March 2022. A search warrant found that he accessed this email while on school property, but Speers wrote she was “assured” by investigators that none of the children in the images were Tower Hill students.
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Yahoo reported the emails to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, which then contacted the Delaware Child Predator Task Force on April 14, according to arrest documents
Speers gave a summary of the arrest information in Sunday’s email, including an acknowledgement of the involvement of Tower Hill’s IP address. However, she wrote that unlike Yahoo, “the content of that email system was encrypted and though not visible” to the school.
“It is painful to go through this, and we are deeply troubled that this situation has emerged,” Speers said.
RELATED:Milford school custodian charged after admitting to sending child porn via Twitter
The morning after Ushler’s arrest, Speers wrote she “briefed” Upper School students. She also stated that the school’s two psychologists have been “proactive” in helping students.
Speers emphasized that Tower Hill School “has done much to ensure that no child in (its) care could become a victim of child predatory behavior,” especially following a former headmaster’s conviction on 25 child pornography charges in 2015.
She referenced the “rigor” of the school’s work with the Beau Biden Foundation, including its Shield of Protection Partner status, as well as digital firewalls and filters. She also claimed that Tower Hill School is required to complete a background check on all new employees.
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As a private school, Tower Hill is allowed to use its own third-party background check methods that may be less thorough than those used by the state – including not checking the Child Protection Registry. Private schools can also choose not to do any background checks at all as long as they inform parents and guardians, according to Delaware law.
While Speers wrote she would continue to keep parents “apprised” on the situation, she encouraged “keeping the focus of this spring on the wonderful accomplishments of students and faculty.”
Ushler’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning in Wilmington. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison.
How to get help
National Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255; en español 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for crisis support
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673
National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453
Anyone who suspects child sexual or physical abuse or neglect is asked to call the Division of Family Services hotline at 800-292-9582.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
