Independent Report Details Decades of Abuse Allegations at Elite Michigan Arts School Interlochen
An independent investigation has documented approximately 70 allegations of sexual abuse involving nearly 50 adults employed or affiliated with the Interlochen Center for the Arts, a prestigious Michigan boarding school and summer camp, spanning from the 1950s through the 2010s. NPR’s reporting on the findings, published August 10, included the account of a former student speaking publicly for the first time.
What the Report Found
Interlochen commissioned the investigation from the Sanghavi Law Office in 2024, after an alumna came forward about an experience from the 1970s involving a longtime faculty member and administrator, according to NPR. The resulting report documents a pattern spanning six decades and describes structural conditions at the school that the investigators say contributed to the abuse continuing largely unchecked for so long.
According to the report’s findings as summarized by NPR, adults at the school were frequently able to have one-on-one interactions with students, while students themselves had limited communication with their families back home and faced heightened vulnerability tied to their age, their sexual identity, and their inexperience. The report also found that some students were afraid to report what had happened to them at the time.
Given the sensitive nature of the underlying allegations, this report focuses on the investigation’s findings, the institutional response, and the broader public-interest context, rather than detailed accounts of the abuse itself.
The Connection to Jeffrey Epstein
Among the report’s findings are allegations connecting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, an Interlochen alumnus and benefactor, and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to abuse at the school. NPR had previously reported in February that Epstein met and recruited two teenage students on the Interlochen campus. The new report makes clear, however, that the pattern of alleged abuse at the school extends well beyond Epstein and Maxwell, involving dozens of other individuals over a much longer span of time.
According to reporting from American Bazaar, Interlochen’s own letter to its community, released alongside the report, named three former staff members and one former trustee accused of sexual misconduct. Of those four individuals, only one, Thomas Clower, remains alive; he had previously pleaded guilty to abusing one of the former students who spoke to NPR.
How Interlochen Has Responded
In its letter to the school community accompanying the report’s release, Interlochen stated that the institution today is “fundamentally different from the institution described in this report.” In a separate statement provided to NPR, the school detailed safety measures it says it has since put in place to protect current students, including a team of school counselors, social workers, and a psychologist available as part of its support network.
For at least one former student who spoke with NPR, that response has not been sufficient. Paul Busch, who says he was sexually abused by his ballet teacher in 2005 at age 16, told NPR the school’s current response falls short of what he believes is needed given the scope of what the investigation uncovered.
A Survivor’s Account
Busch, now sharing his experience publicly for the first time after 21 years, described his circumstances at the time of the abuse to NPR: living away from his parents, deeply committed to becoming a professional dancer, and looking up to the teacher who ultimately harmed him. He told NPR that much of his drive at the time was rooted in wanting to prove he was “enough” and worthy of love — a dynamic he said created what he called “the perfect condition” for the abuse to occur.
Why This Fits a Broader Pattern
Interlochen’s report joins a growing number of independent institutional investigations at elite schools and youth-focused organizations in recent years, many of which have similarly found that structural conditions — including isolation from families, unsupervised one-on-one contact between adults and minors, and institutional reputations that discouraged reporting — created long-running environments where abuse could continue for years or decades before being formally documented and addressed.
FAQ
How many abuse allegations does the report document? Approximately 70 allegations of sexual abuse involving nearly 50 adults employed or affiliated with Interlochen, spanning from the 1950s to the 2010s.
Who commissioned the investigation? Interlochen itself hired the Sanghavi Law Office in 2024 to conduct the investigation, after an alumna came forward about an experience from the 1970s.
Is Jeffrey Epstein connected to these allegations? Yes. The report includes allegations connecting Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to abuse at the school, though the broader pattern documented in the report extends well beyond the two of them.
Has anyone been criminally convicted in connection with the report’s findings? Yes, at least one individual. Thomas Clower, a former staff member named in Interlochen’s letter to its community, previously pleaded guilty to abusing one of the former students who spoke publicly to NPR.
What has Interlochen said in response to the report? The school stated it is “fundamentally different from the institution described in this report” and outlined current safety measures, including school counselors, social workers, and a psychologist available to students.
Conclusion
This report adds Interlochen to a difficult but increasingly familiar category of institutions confronting the full scope of abuse that occurred within them over decades, often only after survivors themselves came forward and pushed for independent investigation. With the school now publicly acknowledging findings that stretch back to the 1950s and at least one survivor saying the institutional response still falls short, the path toward accountability at Interlochen — like similar cases at other institutions — appears likely to remain an ongoing process rather than one this report alone resolves.
Sources: NPR, Interlochen Public Radio, MPR News, TPR, Jefferson Public Radio, American Bazaar (reporting dated August 10, 2026).