Decades of Harm: New York Schools Named in Nearly 2,000 Child Sex Abuse Claims

In the 1960s, a star athlete at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Dutchess County, New York, endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of his coach and gym teacher, Vincent Dutkowski. The athlete, who now lives in his 70s, recounted the traumatic experiences he endured during his lonely rides home from practice, where Dutkowski would offer him rides and attempt to lure him back to his apartment.

Dutkowski had already sexually abused the athlete multiple times before the incident, fondling his buttocks and testicles in the school gym and pubic hair in his office. The athlete attempted to avoid Dutkowski but was eventually caught, leading to a humiliating and frightening experience. Despite the coach's attempts to cover up the abuse, the athlete was eventually dismissed from the basketball team by Dutkowski, who promised to leave him alone if he continued playing.

Thirty-nine years later, the athlete sought justice by filing a lawsuit against Dutkowski, who had died in 2012. Among nearly 2,000 child sex abuse claims filed against New York schools, Dutkowski was named by at least five survivors as their abuser. The sheer number of cases involving New York educators highlights the widespread nature of the problem, with more than 18 percent of all New York state cases involving schools.