Jesuit Priest Ousted From Prestigious NYC School For Sexual Misconduct

A Jesuit priest and president at a prestigious high school in New York City was ousted from his position on Sunday over sexual misconduct allegations.

In a letter sent to the community Sunday, the Board of Trustees of Regis High School, which is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, announced its decision to remove Rev. Daniel Lahart, 59, over claims of sexual misconduct.

“The Board of Trustees has determined, based on the findings of the third-party investigator, Fr. Lahart engaged in inappropriate and unwelcome verbal communications and physical conduct, all of a sexual nature, with adult members of the Regis community, including subordinates,” the board wrote in the letter obtained by the New York Post.

“This conduct was non-consensual, and moreover, continued notwithstanding express requests from the affected parties for the conduct to cease,” the letter continued.

Authorities at Regis High School said they first learned of the claims in late February. They placed Lahart on administrative leave while an outside investigator looked into the allegations. The priest was invited to participate in the investigation but refused to do so.

The Board of Trustees and the investigator later determined that Lahart had acted inappropriately, according to Board Chair Anthony DiNovi.

Lahart, who was named president of the Regis in 2016, received advance notice of his removal after the Board of Trustees received approval from the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus. He will no longer be the president of Regis High School effective April 21.

“Please know the Board did not come to its decision lightly and took seriously its obligation to act with transparency, integrity, and compassion in service of our community, both with respect to Fr. Lahart and to those members of our community who were harmed by his conduct,” the letter stated.

The private all-boys school boasts a number of notable alumnae, including infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci. In 2017, Regis was ranked as the top Catholic high school in the U.S. by Town & County magazine.

A number of universities and institutions have recently investigated or removed staff members over sexual misconduct allegations.

On Saturday, Ohio University removed professor Yusuf Kalyango Jr. after he allegedly sexually harassed two students. He had been a member of the university’s faculty at the Scripps College of Communication since 2008.

“The Board determines that each violation relative to complainant one and complainant two on its own, or taken together, would warrant termination and revocation of tenure,” Ohio University’s Board of Trustees told the university's student-run publication The Post.

On March 31, the U.S. Department of Education launched a probe into Louisiana State University over its mishandling of sexual misconduct claims. The university has been under fire for turning a blind eye toward its students’ rape allegations against abusers, including top athletes.