A New Jersey prep school says it's investigating claims from alumni that students were sexually abused by a former school employee in the 1970s.
The Pingry School in Basking Ridge said in an email Monday to all alumni and students that it recently learned that a few students claimed they were sexually assaulted by Thad Alton. The 69-year-old taught at Short Hills Country Day School from 1972 until it merged with Pingry in 1974. He remained at Pingry until 1978.
Alton was convicted in New York of sodomy and sexual abuse in 1990, spent five years behind bars and is listed on the New York State Sex Offender Registry.
The school says it has hired a private firm to conduct an independent investigation and has notified law enforcement.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
