As WAMC first reported on July 26th, Head of School Julia Heaton sent an email to the school community confirming that Dean of Students Sarah Virden is leaving Miss Hall’s after three decades with the elite all-girls institution. It included a message from Virden, who acknowledged the surprising nature of her departure. It comes after numerous former students came forward with claims of sexual abuse at the hands of former teacher Matthew Rutledge this spring, triggering multiple investigations into the school. Rachel Bryan, who attended Miss Hall’s in the early 00s, told WAMC that Virden brazenly displayed favoritism to students in her charge and was deeply involved in their personal lives.
“She would also take students off campus, she would take you for ice cream trips, she would take you to the mall or the movies or just run errands with you, and I do remember her bragging at one point about somebody's parents giving her either concert tickets or maybe, like, comedy show tickets, some kind of tickets to some event," Bryan told WAMC.
Miss Hall’s School would not comment on whether Virden’s resignation is related to the sex abuse investigations. WAMC has requested comment from Virden.
