(JTA) — KIPP, one of the United States’ largest charter school chains, dismissed its co-founder, Michael Feinberg, over claims that he had sexually abused a student.

Feinberg, who is Jewish, was let go after an investigation found credible a claim of the alleged abuse some two decades ago, KIPP’s management wrote in a letter that the New York Times reported was sent to the school community on Thursday.

He was accused last spring of sexually abusing a minor female student in Houston in the late 1990s, A source told the New York Times.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

An outside investigation found her claim credible after interviewing the student and her mother, who both gave the same sequence of events.

Feinberg denies the accusation, his lawyer, Christopher L. Tritico, told the Times.

Investigators also uncovered evidence that Feinberg had sexually harassed two KIPP employees, according to the report.

Feinberg had never been told of the precise allegations against him, and had not been given a chance to defend himself, his lawyer told the Time. “The investigation was conducted without even the most rudimentary form of due process,” Tritico said.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount