A former private school teacher was arraigned Wednesday on charges that he groomed and raped two of his former students.Those two students — Melissa Fares and Hilary Simon — were in Berkshire Superior Court to watch their former Miss Hall’s School teacher, Matthew Rutledge, face a judge in a courtroom packed with school alumni.Fares and Simon, who asked to be identified by name, spoke at a press conference after the arraignment.“My name is Hilary Simon. Today, Matthew Rutledge was arraigned for raping me. He began grooming me at 15 years old, a student at Miss Hall’s school and his abuse of me continued for years after I left that campus,” she said. “After more than two decades, this case is finally in the hands of the criminal justice system.”Fares said, “Today, I was in the same room as Matt Rutledge, and for the first time, I held the power.”Fares also had this message: “To every survivor, and I promise you this, there is a way out of survival mode,” she said. “But please don’t carry shame that was never yours to begin with. You are not to blame. You are not damaged, the systems around you are.”The case began two years ago when Fares reached out to Simon and they shared identical accounts of Rutledge’s grooming, manipulation and sexual abuse. They went to the police.The district attorney’s office in 2024 declined to bring charges against Rutledge, thanks in part to Massachusetts’ age of consent law, which allows for an adult to have sex with a teenager 16 or older even if the adult is a teacher.They got to work on a bill to close that loophole and make it a crime for a teacher to have sex with a student.And Miss Hall’s School conducted its own investigation, which along with the continued investigation by a team of special prosecutors and the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit, helped the Berkshire DA indict Rutledge last month.At the press conference, the two survivors also had critical words for what they described as other adults enabling Rutledge’s behavior.“Miss Hall’s School knew,” Fares said. “This whole school knew. They enabled a culture of abuse for decades. They failed us, our families and every girl trusted them to protect her. They must also be held accountable.”In a statement, Miss Hall’s School said the arraignment was an “important and painful moment for our community” and that the school would continue to cooperate with law enforcement.”At the same time, this news brings to the surface varied emotions about the sexual misconduct that is a painful part of our school’s history. We are sorry for the harm that survivors have experienced and the impact on our entire community. Our ongoing focus is on student safety and wellbeing and moving forward together toward healing, recognizing that healing will look different for each of us.”At the arraignment Wednesday, a not-guilty plea was entered on behalf of Rutledge. Rutledge was released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from the victims in the case.He is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on June 18.The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office is asking anyone with information or allegations to contact the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit’s tipline by calling (413) 449-5055 or emailing BerkshireSPDUtips@mass.gov.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. —
A former private school teacher was arraigned Wednesday on charges that he groomed and raped two of his former students.
Those two students — Melissa Fares and Hilary Simon — were in Berkshire Superior Court to watch their former Miss Hall’s School teacher, Matthew Rutledge, face a judge in a courtroom packed with school alumni.
Fares and Simon, who asked to be identified by name, spoke at a press conference after the arraignment.
“My name is Hilary Simon. Today, Matthew Rutledge was arraigned for raping me. He began grooming me at 15 years old, a student at Miss Hall’s school and his abuse of me continued for years after I left that campus,” she said. “After more than two decades, this case is finally in the hands of the criminal justice system.”
Fares said, “Today, I was in the same room as Matt Rutledge, and for the first time, I held the power.”
Fares also had this message: “To every survivor, and I promise you this, there is a way out of survival mode,” she said. “But please don’t carry shame that was never yours to begin with. You are not to blame. You are not damaged, the systems around you are.”
Hearst Owned
Melissa Fares speaks after the arraignment of her alleged abuser, Miss Hall’s School teacher Matthew Rutledge. Fellow survivor Hilary Simon is to the right of her.
The case began two years ago when Fares reached out to Simon and they shared identical accounts of Rutledge’s grooming, manipulation and sexual abuse. They went to the police.
The district attorney’s office in 2024 declined to bring charges against Rutledge, thanks in part to Massachusetts’ age of consent law, which allows for an adult to have sex with a teenager 16 or older even if the adult is a teacher.
They got to work on a bill to close that loophole and make it a crime for a teacher to have sex with a student.
And Miss Hall’s School conducted its own investigation, which along with the continued investigation by a team of special prosecutors and the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit, helped the Berkshire DA indict Rutledge last month.
At the press conference, the two survivors also had critical words for what they described as other adults enabling Rutledge’s behavior.
“Miss Hall’s School knew,” Fares said. “This whole school knew. They enabled a culture of abuse for decades. They failed us, our families and every girl trusted them to protect her. They must also be held accountable.”
In a statement, Miss Hall’s School said the arraignment was an “important and painful moment for our community” and that the school would continue to cooperate with law enforcement.
“At the same time, this news brings to the surface varied emotions about the sexual misconduct that is a painful part of our school’s history. We are sorry for the harm that survivors have experienced and the impact on our entire community. Our ongoing focus is on student safety and wellbeing and moving forward together toward healing, recognizing that healing will look different for each of us.”
At the arraignment Wednesday, a not-guilty plea was entered on behalf of Rutledge. Rutledge was released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from the victims in the case.
He is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on June 18.
The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office is asking anyone with information or allegations to contact the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit’s tipline by calling (413) 449-5055 or emailing BerkshireSPDUtips@mass.gov.