We, as members of the MHS community, including students, teachers, alumni, families, friends, and concerned community members oppose the Board of Trustee’s decision to retain the current Head of School, Julia Heaton, and the Board of Trustees Chair, Nancy Gustafson Ault. While we appreciate the decision to hire Aleta Law to create an external investigation and report, we feel that both Heaton and Ault failed us with their most important task—to protect the safety of MHS students. For example, in 2016, Jeannie Norris told Julia Heaton that multiple students, staff, and parents had reported Matthew Rutledge for inappropriate behavior. Despite having access to a warning letter in Rutledge’s personnel file, which clearly stated that he faced no major punishments, Heaton believed Norris’s claim that the matter had been adequately dealt with. Three years later, in 2019, an alumna told a member of Miss Hall’s faculty that Rutledge had inappropriate relationships with students. The faculty member reported this to Heaton, but Heaton never reached out to the alum. Then, at both the 2022 and 2023 reunions, alums told Heaton of their concerns surrounding Rutledge. She instructed these alums to reach out to her via phone call or email, which they did do, but she never responded. Heaton’s dismissal of the above-mentioned reports as “gossip” from a third-party had serious consequences. Because of her negligence, Rutledge continued working with teenagers for years longer than he should have been. Ault also failed at her duty to protect Miss Hall’s students. She was told of Rutledge’s behavior as early as 2006, yet never brought these claims to leadership. Additionally, she encouraged Heaton to not investigate claims against Rutledge after an alum reported him in 2022.

We are thankful that Ault and Heaton have admitted to their failures, but the Board should not be the ones who decide whether their actions are forgivable, as they are not the ones who will be affected by their continued employment at the school. It is the students and faculty who will have to face a Head of School who failed to protect them. They will have to shake the hands of two women who disregarded their safety at graduation. Alums and parents will have to interact with both of these women at school events and reunions. Even if Heaton and Ault never again fail to protect students, the damage has been done. We, students, alums, teachers, and parents, do not trust or feel safe around an administration that has continually disregarded our concerns. Miss Hall’s teaches students to be bold and use their voices. We ask that leadership finally listen to our voices and honor our request for an administration who will forge a new path for Miss Hall’s School and put our shameful history of abuse to rest.  

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