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“It was just survival:” Miss Hall’s alumnae describe a decades-old campus culture of open student-faculty relationships, fear, and repression in wake of emerging sex scandal

The main building of the Miss Hall's School campus in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Josh Landes
/
WAMC
The main building of the Miss Hall's School campus in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

As allegations of sexual abuse continue to emerge from a private all-girls school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, former students and staff members are speaking out about an unsafe campus environment where relationships between teachers and children were well-known and unchallenged.

This spring, multiple alumnae of Miss Hall’s School have leveled accusations of sexual abuse, exploitation, and grooming at the hands of former history teacher Matthew Rutledge. Melissa Fares, Hilary Simon, and two former students who have not been named hired attorneys Kristin Knuuttila and Eric MacLeish as they go public with their stories. The growing scandal was first reported by The Berkshire Eagle. While Miss Hall’s School turned down multiple requests for interview from WAMC News, the school offered a general statement and answered questions.

Rutledge, who lives directly off the Miss Hall’s campus on Holmes Road, was banned from campus and then resigned shortly after Fares’ initial charges went public. He did not respond to requests for comment from WAMC. An investigation has been launched by the Berkshire District Attorney, and Miss Hall’s has pledged to cooperate with authorities while also conducting its own internal review.

Students who attended the school while Fares, Simon, and others were allegedly preyed on by Rutledge tell WAMC that the inappropriate relationships were an open secret in the tightknit campus community, that they feared repercussions for speaking out, and that it was impossible for administrators to not have known about them.

Bethany Whitney and Ariel Smith are sisters with deep ties to Miss Hall’s.

Their father and uncle attended the school in its co-ed days, along with their aunt and two cousins.

Smith attended from 2005 to 2009.

“I actually remember my very first day of going with my parents and freshman year and I made them drive past the school, and I was so nervous," she told WAMC. "My cousins had already gone there, but I was so nervous I made them drive past the school and just drive to this like long- It was like a driveway or something, and we were just sitting there. My parents were like, it's OK. It was like, I'm so nervous, I'm so nervous, I don't know why.”

The sprawling campus lies in the largely rural southeastern quadrant of Pittsfield, set along Holmes Road — a winding pathway through farms and residential neighborhoods far from downtown.

“They almost make themselves intimidating to the community," Smith continued. "It's like they like separate themselves. And I felt like when I was driving up the hill, like I was going somewhere that was not in Berkshire County. And I'd grown up in Berkshire County, I was very comfortable here. So they do I feel like remove themselves a little bit from the community.”

Whitney spent her freshman and sophomore years at Miss Hall’s from 2007 to 2009.

“I loved Miss Hall’s," she told WAMC. "I was very involved. I played three competitive sports a year. I would stay every single night for study hall till 9 o'clock at night. I was a day student the couple years I was there. Even on the weekends, I did so many activities. I just loved being there, I loved my friends”

Whitney says the traditional lines that separate faculty and staff from students were blurred, especially in retrospect.

“The teachers were our friends, and there was no separation between that," she explained. "So, it was very normal for us to do private outings with our teachers and very normal for students to be going into the teachers' apartments on campus.”

The significance of those relationships in a cloistered environment was not lost on the students.

“The school was run off of favoritism, and I was never a favorite," said Whitney. "And for some reason, they were, the faculty members that were the cool faculty members, and they would get really involved with like the girls that are like the cool girls, kind of."

“They created this culture of, you're here, these teachers are like your parents, this closeness is OK with teachers, when really, students should not have been sleeping over at teachers’ apartments or houses, dinners alone together were super inappropriate," said Smith. "If you're going to have advisors, it really should have just been a teacher-student relationship. And they- We had a lot of different seminar days, and not one of them was about sexual misconduct and appropriateness with adults, anything like that.”

According to Whitney, if you were on the Miss Hall’s campus in the late 00s, evidence of Rutledge’s relationships with students was hard to miss.

“We had study hall every night from 6 to 9 p.m., and one night, it was around the end of study hall, and me and my friend went into his classroom to go get something," she told WAMC. "And when we walked in, he was sitting there – he was sitting in a chair, and he had his legs up on a table – and [the student's] legs were laying over his legs. And when we walked in, he did not even react. He didn't even react at all. Neither them reacted. So we had to just go into the classroom, grab whatever we needed and leave, and then me and my friend, obviously, as soon as we walked out of the room were like, that was weird. But that's the thing, is that he was so comfortable with this, and for her to not even react, he must have been really putting it into her head, this is OK, this is OK. See, they didn't even- See, everything's fine. But when I look back now being 30, and I look back, and I think about the fact that neither of them reacted to us walking in there, and they were sitting like that is just bizarre to me.”

Rutledge, who taught at Miss Hall’s for over 30 years, had an outsize presence on campus.

“He was very powerful there amongst the teachers. He was very flirtatious with students, the ones that he liked, and he would walk through the halls – this is at least on a weekly basis – he would walk through the halls when there were a bunch of girls in the way, saying, ‘Mr. Wonderful coming through!’" said Whitney. "That’s what he would yell amongst all of us. His ego is- His head's huge. He's just powerful there. There's a reason why he lasted there 32 years, because of, one, because of himself and with them all covering everything up, but he's just- He did a good job at what he did.

Emily Adamcyk transferred into Miss Hall’s in 2003 and graduated in 2005. She’d heard rumors about Rutledge before she even stepped foot on campus.

"That he was dating – of course, those are the words we used – he was dating a student at the time and that they would go on their cross country runs, and they would go in the woods and make out, and that was like the big thing I heard," Adamcyk told WAMC. "And I was like, well, I guess I'm not joining the cross-country team. That was just kind of what I heard going in, because my sister was also on the cross-country team before she graduated.”

Hillary Simon, one of the former students who alleges sexual abuse by Rutledge, was Adamcyk’s roommate.

“We all knew, and the culture there was, if we all know, we assume someone on staff must also know," Adamcyk said. "And if someone on staff must know, then this must not be that big of a deal. And that kind of seems to be the culture that's been beating in the background for the last 20 years.”

In an environment as close as Miss Hall’s, Adamcyk says it’s practically impossible that the adults in charge hadn’t heard about Rutledge’s proclivities for dating students.

It should not have taken 33 years and a survivor coming forward,” she told WAMC.

As a student herself, Adamcyk said she never felt comfortable approaching the Miss Hall’s administration with concerns about staff misbehavior.

“Ew, absolutely not, no." she said. "Keep it to myself and just hope I graduate in one piece. That was just- It was just survival. Just, you know, it's- By then you just learned, you don't tell them anything. You don't know how they're going to react”

Adamcyk is the admin for an independent Facebook group for Miss Hall’s graduates separate from channels officially controlled by the school.

On the page, alumnae from across the decades have shared dozens of accounts of ways Miss Hall’s failed them in moments of crisis. Adamcyk says the school’s response to the Rutledge allegations lacks transparency, and that she’s pessimistic about the odds of a thorough reckoning.

We just don't think there's going to be any kind of change," she told WAMC. "We think it's a cover your ass moment and save the school, save the checks. But I don't think they really want to take on the actual work of what it would take to completely clean house, to do workshops, to do town halls with alumnae to really get to where they need to be.”

Ahead of the 2024 Miss Hall’s reunion – set to begin May 17th – Adamcyk says the school has an opportunity to make a meaningful gesture to the accusers.

“A big step forward would be for them to cancel the reunion, or to change the reunion completely to an open voice townhall where people can voice their concerns," she said. "I do not think the best look for them right now is to have a fundraiser for the school about how wonderful your time was there. I don't think that's a good look for them, especially considering the reunion last year, they had Lucia Stoller Evans as the speaker, who was one of the women in the [Harvey] Weinstein case. It wasn't a good look last year, and I don't see how they can have a reunion this year without a lot of trouble and a lot of protesting.”

Adamcyk says the responsibility for the situation during her time at Miss Hall’s is in the hands of one person: then-head of school Jeannie Norris.

“You can't take on, be the head and the face of a company – and let's face it, it's a company, they make money, they make a profit – You can't be the face of that and not also open yourself up to everything, all the litigious, everything," Adamcyk told WAMC. "I mean, you just can't. So, whether or not she had direct knowledge, she was still at the helm, she's still the face of it. It was still under her control.”

Ashleigh Ketchum, class of 2005, told WAMC that she was familiar with students who did approach Norris and other administrators about their concerns with Rutledge.

“I actually know of a student who I'm very close with who did go to- She did go to the head of school and dean and kind of confronted them about the, quote, unquote, rumors, and about two days later, there was an assembly held," Ketchum said. "Basically, the entire school was pulled into this assembly to be reprimanded for spreading rumors, and then were kind of told that they took that very seriously, and that you would be punished if you were caught spreading rumors or engaging in rumors.”

Ketchum and other students interviewed by WAMC said during their time at Miss Hall’s, fear of retribution from the administration contributed to a culture of silence.

“I have a lot of guilt about being there and knowing about this and not making an official report," she told WAMC. "However, I don't think that report would have been taken seriously and I could have possibly been reprimanded for it. But I just, you know, I'm doing what I can now, now that I'm an adult, to support them, and I'm just so proud of all of them.”

Through Pittsfield-based firm Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook, which is representing Miss Hall’s School and its former staffers, Norris declined to comment after being reached by WAMC News.

Norris stepped down as head of Miss Hall’s in 2012 after 16 years in the role.

For Whitney, the entire boarding school industry – with its long and harrowing history of child abuse – is overdue for an overhaul.

“If Miss Hall’s has to be made an example of then that's what needs to happen," she told WAMC. "This needs to stop. It's a perfect place for pedophiles to go. These kids are away from their family, and they get to just groom them, manipulate them, and then do whatever they want with them and their parents aren't around. It's disgusting.”

Smith agrees.

“It just seems like this has been a repetitive problem," she said. "So, for all the women that have been hurt by Miss Hall’s, been hurt by adults at Miss Hall’s, have been kicked out, retaliated against, for new students who are now feeling- You know, you're at a school and now you find out that there's like all these secrets that are hidden in the walls. I just really want these adults to be held accountable.”

Adamcyk says the real scandal isn’t even about Rutledge and the girls he allegedly groomed and abused while teaching at Miss Hall’s.

The cone of silence in the boarding school community needs to go through some serious changes," she told WAMC. "And I don't know how that's going to happen.”

“I've heard so many stories of teachers, administrations, heads of schools, deans, I've heard so many stories of them being directly told about this kind of stuff, and it getting swept under the rug," said Ketchum. "I have experience of watching the teachers turning their cheeks. And I know this is all in the past, but it seems that the same kind of culture is happening, it just seems like they're kind of being forced to be held accountable for what they have to do to save themselves.”

Ketchum says the legacy of abuse at Miss Hall’s lives on through its faculty and staff members who have never faced necessary scrutiny.

“There was a statement that came out from the board of trustees recently, claiming, like, yeah, to like, to reach out to them with any information, and it just kind of feels fake," she told WAMC. "And I know that there are still some teachers there and staff members there that have been there a long, long time, that were around when Rutledge was causing problems. And it just kind of- I know there's an investigation happening and everything, I'm just kind of sitting back and waiting for things to actually happen- And I feel like a lot of this is on the school. I know that people like Mr. Rutledge can't help themselves, and unfortunately, the school was notified many, many, many times through the years and nothing happened. And the teachers who are still there- there's, I mean, I would, I'd be shocked if they didn't know, and if they didn't know, the negligence of not being aware of it is a problem. So, I'm just interested to see what actually plays out and what actually happens with current staff members that are there that knew about what was happening.”

Concerns about campus safety at Miss Hall’s are not limited to the era around Rutledge’s alleged relationships with Fares and Simon over a decade ago. Melissa O’Dell, who worked as a lacrosse coach at the school as recently as 2022, told WAMC in a statement that she verbally raised concerns about Rutledge spending time alone with a student to a dean:

“I said, have we thought about implementing a two-on-one scenario where a teacher is never alone with a student to protect not only the students but themselves. And she said, well, no, he's fine. He's been here 30 years and we don't need that policy. We don't have enough staff. And I said, well, it could be two students and one staff. It doesn't necessarily need to be just two staff, even just having two students kind of protects everyone. And she said, no, we don't we don't need to do that. And I found that to be alarming.”

O’Dell also related another story to WAMC about Rutledge specifically asking her to leave him alone with a student during a one-on-one meeting, a request she refused in part due to the student specifically asking for O’Dell’s presence during the sit down.

She says the school’s training for staff members – as shown in a page from the Miss Hall’s School Employee Handbook provided to WAMC – calls on them to first approach the head of school, dean of students, or dean of academics and faculty to “take the appropriate next step:”

“As a trained mandated reporter, you report it to [the Department of Children & Families]. But that wasn't what they were instructing people to do. They were instructing people to bring it to the head of the school, and she would decide what to do with it, and if your assistance was needed any further in making reports they would let you know.”

Private school teachers are included under the “mandated reporter” designation. The requirements on those figures are:

“Massachusetts law requires mandated reporters to immediately make an oral report to DCF when, in their professional capacity, they have reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of 18 years is suffering from abuse and/or neglect. A written report is to be submitted within 48 hours. In addition to filing with the Department a mandated reporter may notify local law enforcement or the Office of the Child Advocate of any suspected abuse and/or neglect.”

WAMC also spoke with a student with memories dating back to Rutledge’s earliest days at Miss Hall’s in the 90s.

“My senior year, I lived in Witherspoon, which was the all-girls dorm that Mr. Rutledge was the dorm parent of," said Julie Lombardi, class of ’93. “When I was there, living in Witherspoon with him, I mean, I witnessed him flirting and being inappropriate with my friends in the dorm. I always thought it was weird that they even allowed him to live in a girl's dorm, to be honest. I thought it was kind of strange. He would come in our rooms every night to say goodbye to us, and during study hall, he would come in and do study hall check-in every night, and he was definitely friendlier with some of the girls than others. My roommate and I, we always kind of thought he was kind of creepy and sketchy, so we never really let him in our room for more than five minutes at a time. But we definitely witnessed him being inappropriate with our friends.”

Even as a teen, Lombardi knew something was off.

“I always wondered, what does his wife think about him hanging out in the rooms of 17-year-olds,” she said.

She told WAMC that the culture of silence and fear at Miss Hall’s was well established during her tenure at the school.

“When I was there, I heard about a girl who had spoken out about somebody else," Lombardi told WAMC. "I can't remember who it was, but it was another- It was somebody, they had tutors that would come from different colleges around the area and they would come to study hall. They were usually college kids that were coming to study hall to tutor sometimes. I heard about a girl that had complained about one of these college kids who was a guy who was kind of being inappropriate and she actually ended up getting in trouble for it instead of the guy. So, I think because we all kind of knew about this sort of retaliation and not taking things seriously that nobody really wanted to speak up, and I personally feel like it was definitely a culture of cover up there because of that, them never wanting, the administration never wanting the students to ever say anything negative about anything going on there.”

Alongside alleged sexual predation from teachers like Rutledge, Lombardi says the school also overlooked mental and psychological abuse inflicted by staff members on students.

“There were a lot of girls there that were dealing with all sorts of things," she said. "I mean, these are high school girls, and they're having all kinds of issues – emotionally, mentally, physically – and the school was just not prepared, or they were not set up to really deal with the girls having any kind of issues, mentally. And it could range from all different kinds of things, and whenever these things would come up, the administration would just kind of be like, suck it up. They just never wanted to deal with anything.”

Like other former students, Lombardi says she’s taking solace in the positive relationships she did make there.

“I was talking to my roommate yesterday about it, actually- This is my roommate who I had there for four years, and we're still like best friends even though it's been 30 years," she told WAMC. "We were telling each other yesterday, like, if it wasn't for our little friend group that we had there, we don't know if we would have made it through, because we- So much happened when we were there. Like, I can't even, there's so many stories, I don't want to get into all of them now. But I mean, it was- It was a really crazy time in our lives, and to only have each other to look out for each other, and not really any adult look out for us, it was very difficult during those years.”

Attorney Kristin Knuuttila, who is representing the four former students pursuing legal action against Rutledge and Miss Hall’s alongside Eric MacLeish, tells WAMC that evidence of Miss Hall’s culture of retaliation and repression is well documented. An unnamed student Knuuttila is representing says that Rutledge’s behavior was on full display while driving her to and from extracurricular activities off campus.

“A client of ours who attended Miss Hall’s School in the early 90s and who was groomed and sexually abused during her entire time at Miss Hall’s School told the then head of school Trudy Hall that not only was Rutledge giving her these rides, but that she felt threatened by him," the attorney told WAMC. "What Trudy Hall said in response was something along the lines of – our client does not remember the exact words, but – she said something along the lines of warning her to keep quiet or her leadership activities and or student aid would be jeopardized.”

It wasn’t the only time the student’s interactions with Rutledge raised alarms.

“There was a second report in that our clients coach saw our client getting in and out of a car with Rutledge, and when he asked, when that specific coach asked why the client was getting in and out of Rutledge’s car, our client told him that she felt uncomfortable being alone with Rutledge," said Knuuttila. "As far as our client knows, nothing was ever done in response to either one of these reports.”

After leading Miss Hall’s, Hall went on to serve as head of school at the Emma Willard School in Troy from 1999 to 2016. Emma Willard has also dealt with fallout from sexual misconduct allegations.

Knuuttila also has a copy of a 2008 letter sent to then head of school Jeannie Norris by parents of another Miss Hall’s student she’s representing that brought up concerns about Rutledge’s “unmistakably inappropriate” conduct with their daughter. Like with similar calls to Norris’s predecessors like Hall and her successor Julia Heaton, who currently runs the school, Knuttila says it went unanswered.

“it's not on the kids, or the survivors themselves to be the ones that come forward, although that's what always happens," the attorney told WAMC. "It's for the grownups to take initiative to see something that they think just doesn't look right and to do something about it.”

When reached by WAMC for comment, Miss Hall’s School head Julia Heaton offered a statement, confirming the school is cooperating with authorities and won’t comment on ongoing investigations:

“Our school’s most important responsibility is the safety of our students. We are heartbroken by accounts of past sexual misconduct and abuse shared by several courageous Miss Hall’s alums, and we take issues of sexual misconduct very seriously. We are fully committed to learning the truth about what occurred in the past and to continuing our efforts to safeguard the wellbeing of our students today and in the future. The School has engaged Aleta Law to conduct a neutral, external investigation into any sexual misconduct or abuse by a Miss Hall’s employee. At the conclusion of the investigation, the findings will be shared with our full community, and the School will use them to inform both supportive and corrective measures.”

WAMC also asked the school a battery of more specific questions, including whether or not Miss Hall’s had known about Rutledge’s behavior and why, if they did, it had never been reported:

“This is one of the questions we have asked the external, neutral investigators to examine. We are cooperating fully with the investigators.”

WAMC asked Miss Hall’s about how it intended to handle the upcoming reunion as many of its alumnae were processing outrage and grief around the sex abuse allegations:

“We look forward to being in community with our alums for Reunions. The programming will include opportunities to talk with school leaders and trauma-informed professionals, as we all process the news about reports of past sexual misconduct and abuse at Miss Hall’s.”

The school was asked if staffers were officially allowed to spend the night with students:

“Present policy does not permit School employees to spend the night in the same room as students. The external, neutral investigation will examine these types of topics as to what may have occurred in the past. Every report made to Aleta Law will be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and treated with the utmost sensitivity.”

Given that Heaton’s original message to campus about Rutledge’s resignation framed it as a decision for personal reasons, WAMC also questioned whether or not Miss Hall’s would disclose the reasons behind the firings of other faculty if applicable:

“To the extent faculty personnel decisions are deemed relevant by the external, neutral investigation, the School will provide such information to the investigators. After this investigation concludes, we will share what the investigators have learned with the full community. It is our goal to be as transparent as possible while protecting survivors/witness anonymity and taking into account any trauma related concerns.”

To find resources from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, click here.

Miss Hall's General Statement to WAMC News:

Our school’s most important responsibility is the safety of our students. We are heartbroken by accounts of past sexual misconduct and abuse shared by several courageous Miss Hall’s alums, and we take issues of sexual misconduct very seriously.

We are fully committed to learning the truth about what occurred in the past and to continuing our efforts to safeguard the wellbeing of our students today and in the future.

The School has engaged Aleta Law to conduct a neutral, external investigation into any sexual misconduct or abuse by a Miss Hall’s employee. At the conclusion of the investigation, the findings will be shared with our full community, and the School will use them to inform both supportive and corrective measures.

Miss Hall’s School is aware of and cooperating fully with the Berkshire County District Attorney’s investigation into former employee Matthew Rutledge.

Out of respect for the privacy of the brave women who have come forward, as well as the integrity of the ongoing investigations, the School will refrain from commenting on any specific reports at this time.

Responses to specific questions:

1. Matthew Rutledge’s alleged relationships with students on the Miss Hall’s

campus have been described as open secrets well known to the community.

Did the school at any time know about his alleged behavior, and if so, why

was it never reported internally over the past 30 years?

 

This is one of the questions we have asked the external, neutral investigators to examine. We are cooperating fully with the investigators.

2. What are Miss Hall’s current policies for staff/student interactions and boundaries?

We have established comprehensive hiring policies and practices and conduct regular training for all faculty and staff regarding appropriate professional boundaries with students. We also educate our students about pathways for them to report if they experience any inappropriate behavior on our campus.

3. Will MHS agree to create a therapy fund for its students in need of support during this process?

We have several licensed, trauma-informed mental health professionals who provide optional group and/or individual support to current students on campus. We will provide additional resources, as needed.

4. Has MHS ever engaged in retaliation against students or staff members for alleging misconduct on the part of MHS staff?

As we shared with our community, Aleta Law, our external neutral investigators, will also be examining what faculty and administrators may have known about any alleged improper conduct and how they responded. We will cooperate fully with the investigators.

5. How many students does MHS currently believe may have been the subject of sexual predation while at the school?

We have asked the external, neutral investigators to examine this issue and will cooperate fully with them.

6. Does MHS own the house Matthew Rutledge lives in on Holmes Road?

Mr. Rutledge does not live in Miss Hall’s School-owned housing. Mr. Rutledge has not been physically present on campus since his resignation.

7. Will MHS respond to student requests for next month’s reunion to be either canceled or converted into an environment where alumnae can ask direct questions of the school?

We look forward to being in community with our alums for Reunions. The programming will include opportunities to talk with school leaders and trauma-informed professionals, as we all process the news about reports of past sexual misconduct and abuse at Miss Hall’s.

8. Does MHS believe it is providing a safe environment for its students based on the lengthy testimony of alumnae from the past 30-odd years who say it is not a safe environment?

The School is following best practices in its current policies to provide a safe environment for its current students. It has also asked the external, neutral investigators to examine the concerns of alumnae regarding their experiences in the past.

9. Does MHS have a sense if any other faculty or staff members engaged in inappropriate behavior with students? If so, how many?

This is one of the questions we have asked the external, neutral investigators to examine. We will cooperate fully with the investigators.

10. Some students have called for MHS to examine its current staff to see if they have engaged with past alleged abusive behavior- is the school conducting such a review? 

This is part of the role of the external, neutral investigators.

11. What current practices are being re-evaluated?

We are examining all School policies and practices closely. Once the external investigation has been completed we will take what we have learned from the investigation and determine if we need to take any corrective measures with regard to our existing policies and procedures.

12. Were staffers allowed to have students spend the night with them?

Present policy does not permit School employees to spend the night in the same room as students. The external, neutral investigation will examine these types of topics as to what may have occurred in the past. Every report made to Aleta Law will be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and treated with the utmost sensitivity.

13. Will Miss Hall’s voluntarily provide internal documents to DA investigators?

The School will cooperate fully with DA investigators, consistent with its legal obligations.

14. Will Miss Hall’s disclose any information about the reasons behind other faculty firings if applicable?

To the extent faculty personnel decisions are deemed relevant by the external, neutral investigation, the School will provide such information to the investigators. After this investigation concludes, we will share what the investigators have learned with the full community. It is our goal to be as transparent as possible while protecting survivors/witness anonymity and taking into account any trauma related concerns.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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