Updated

A series of sexual abuse scandals is forcing a reckoning at some of New England's most exclusive boarding schools and sending a shudder through similar institutions around the country.

At St. George's School in Rhode Island, scores of alumni have come forward to complain of being sexually violated by teachers or schoolmates.

At St. Paul's in New Hampshire, a rape trial revealed a tradition in which senior boys competed to have sex with younger girls.

And at New Hampshire's Phillips Exeter Academy, several graduates have accused faculty members of sexual abuse and other wrongdoing.

Those schools and ones that have yet to be touched by scandal are now rushing to adopt safeguards and reassure parents. They are also asking former students and others to come forward if they know of any misconduct.