Former Miss Hall’s leader charged in teacher abuse case
Jeannie Norris, who led the Massachusetts school for 16 years, was indicted as prosecutors pursue rape charges against former teacher Matthew Rutledge.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The former head of Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, has been indicted as part of the continuing investigation into alleged sexual abuse by a former teacher, the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office said.
Jeannie Norris, who led the boarding and day school for 16 years, was charged Wednesday with reckless endangerment of a child, according to a release from the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors said Norris was allegedly aware of improper relationships involving former teacher Matthew Rutledge and students at the school.
Rutledge was indicted earlier this year on rape charges after two former students accused him of targeting them in the 2000s. He pleaded not guilty in April, NBC News reported.
Joseph C. Merschman, an attorney for Norris, did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. Nora Adukonis, an attorney for Rutledge, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to NBC News.
Hilary Simon, one of Rutledge’s accusers, told NBC News that Norris had the authority to intervene but protected Rutledge instead of students. Simon said the indictment should warn school leaders that people who enable abuse can face consequences.
“For years survivors were dismissed, silenced and even disciplined for telling the truth,” Simon told NBC News. “Now our voices are the ones being heard and believed. No amount of power or influence or money stops accountability.”
Melissa Fares, another accuser, told NBC News she never expected to see Norris charged. Fares said responsibility reaches beyond the person accused of abuse to those who allegedly ignore risks to children or fail to respond.
Fares said she was thankful the district attorney’s office pursued the charge against Norris.
According to NBC News, Simon and Fares testified before a grand jury that Rutledge sexually abused them while they were students and after they left the school. Rutledge was charged with one rape count related to Simon and two rape counts related to Fares.
Fares reported her allegations to Miss Hall’s School officials in 2024, and Simon came forward soon after, NBC News reported. Rutledge resigned after the accusations were made.
The case initially faced an apparent legal hurdle, according to NBC News, because both accusers were 16 at the time of the alleged abuse, which is the age of consent in Massachusetts. The district attorney’s office later assigned special prosecutors and state police detectives to review evidence gathered by Pittsfield police and a law firm working for the school.
That team determined Rutledge had “violated Massachusetts General Law,” prosecutors said.
“Today’s indictment is a result of the continued, active investigation into the allegations of abuse that occurred at Miss Hall’s School,” District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrue said in the release. “Once again, I encourage anyone with information about potential abuse that occurred at Miss Hall’s School to please contact our State Police Detectives.”
A 60-page report by the law firm hired by Miss Hall’s School found that school leaders had received multiple reports about Rutledge’s inappropriate conduct and failed to respond properly, NBC News reported.
The report said Miss Hall’s received information on separate occasions in the late 1990s and mid-2000s about Rutledge’s inappropriate relationships and interactions with students. It found that school leadership did not adequately investigate or act on that information.
Julia Heaton, the current head of school, apologized on behalf of Miss Hall’s and said she also “did not do enough to protect the wellbeing of students,” NBC News reported.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.