DALLAS — Father Stephen Swann, the founder and headmaster of the Episcopal School of Dallas, says he is stepping aside just months after a jury hit the school with a $9.2 million verdict in a controversial civil case.
The Dallas jury sided with a student who claimed the school failed to protect her from a sexual relationship with a male teacher, and then forced her to leave after the relationship was discovered.
The school said it would appeal the decision.
In a letter to alumni obtained by News 8, Swann made no mention of the case, saying only that after 37 years at the school, it's time for new leadership.
Swann will stay on until a new headmaster is named; that could take up to two years. He will then assume oversight of the school's endowment.
ESD is considered one of the top private schools in Texas, but its image took a beating during the sensational trial that led to the verdict.
E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com
