Former Miss Hall’s Head Jean Norris Indicted on 1 Child Endangerment Count Over Abuse Reports
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 23
Former Miss Hall’s Head Jean Norris Indicted on 1 Child Endangerment Count Over Abuse Reports
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 23
Summary
Berkshire County prosecutors indicted former Miss Hall’s School headmaster Jean Norris on one count of reckless endangerment of a child, accusing her of not acting on numerous reports about a teacher’s inappropriate behavior.
The charge is part of a wider sexual-abuse investigation at the western Massachusetts girls’ boarding school, where former teacher Matthew Rutledge was indicted in March on three rape counts involving two students from 2001 to 2010.
Rutledge has pleaded not guilty, while Norris’s lawyer did not immediately respond; alumna Melissa Fares, who has said Rutledge abused her, called the indictment of Norris a “big moment.”
The case has also spotlighted Massachusetts consent law, and this month the state raised the age to 18 when sex involves an adult in a position of trust or authority.