Former Head of Miss Hall’s School Indicted

A news story that has rocked this community for the last couple of years has been the allegations and charges against former teacher at Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield, Matthew Rutledge.

Now, there's a new development in the Miss Hall's School abuse case. Jeannie Norris, who ran the school as Head of School from 1996 to 2012, has been indicted by a Berkshire Superior Court grand jury on one count of reckless endangerment of a child, according to a press release by the Berkshire DA's office.

This comes out of the same investigation that already led to charges against former Miss Hall's teacher Matthew Rutledge. According to the DA's office, evidence gathered during that investigation shows Norris knew about inappropriate relationships between Rutledge and students at the school. Investigators say she got multiple reports about his conduct over the years.

Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said his team, which includes Massachusetts State Police detectives and victim witness advocates, is still actively working the case. He noted this indictment follows the one against Rutledge, and he's asking anyone with information about possible abuse at Miss Hall's to reach out to investigators.

The DA's office knows this isn't easy. Coming forward about abuse is hard, and they want survivors to know they don't have to commit to anything right away. You can call or email the tip line, (413) 449-5055 or BerkshireSPDUtips@mass.gov, and just talk to Trooper Dana Clement or her partner Trooper Kyle Jolin about what the process looks like. No pressure to file charges if you're not ready.