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Accused of grooming students, a former Miss Hall’s teacher pleads not guilty to rape charges
Matthew Rutledge, 64, pleaded not guilty to raping two former students at the all-girls prep school in Pittsfield.
Nearly two decades after she first arrived at Miss Hall’s School in Western Massachusetts, Melissa Fares again found herself face-to-face with Matthew Rutledge, her former teacher and alleged abuser.
But now, as she watched Rutledge stand in Berkshire Superior Court Wednesday to face three counts of rape, it was Fares who held the power. And she wasn’t alone.
Fares and fellow Miss Hall’s alumna Hilary Simon sat front and center as their former teacher pleaded not guilty to raping them — a hard-earned moment that came years after both women publicly accused Rutledge of grooming and sexual abuse.
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“This indictment means we were believed,” Simon told reporters following the arraignment. “It means a man who preyed on teenage girls for decades is finally answering for it. He did it because he thought that he could. He did it because he thought that the law would protect him. It will not.”
“The shame was never mine,” she continued. “The shame was never Melissa’s. The shame belongs to Matthew Rutledge and to every adult who enabled him.”
Previously:
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Former Miss Hall’s School teacher at center of grooming allegations is charged with rape
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Miss Hall’s School releases extensive sexual misconduct report saying school leaders ‘failed’ to keep students safe
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DA not prosecuting teacher accused of grooming and assaulting girls for years at Pittsfield school
Rutledge, 64, was released on personal recognizance Wednesday with orders to stay away from and have no contact with Simon or Fares. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
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A Berkshire County grand jury indicted Rutledge in late March following a lengthy investigation into his conduct at Miss Hall’s, the all-girls prep school in Pittsfield where he taught from 1991 until his resignation in 2024. Miss Hall’s commissioned its own independent probe into Rutledge, which linked him to five firsthand accounts of sexual misconduct involving students or recent graduates and documented allegations of grooming, sexual advances, and “forcible oral and vaginal intercourse.”
The Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office initially said in 2024 that it could not prosecute Rutledge over the “profoundly troubling” allegations, given the age of consent in Massachusetts is 16. But, speaking to reporters Wednesday, DA Timothy Shugrue said last month’s indictments were possible because of the independent Miss Hall’s probe and an extensive law enforcement investigation.
“This arraignment has been a long time coming,” Shugrue acknowledged. “Thank you, Melissa and Hilary, for your patience. You have been waiting for justice not only over the past two years, but since the abuse first occurred.”
In a statement following Rutledge’s indictment, Miss Hall’s pledged its continued cooperation with the prosecution and said it stands “with the Survivors whose courage and determination played an indispensable role in this outcome, and we are grateful they will finally have the opportunity to seek justice in the criminal case against Matt Rutledge.”
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Simon told reporters she needed years to come forward in part because Rutledge threatened to kill himself “and swore (she) would destroy his family if (she) ever spoke.” Fares likewise said the trauma from the alleged abuse permeated her life as she worked to understand what she had gone through.
“It was over the last several years that I began piecing together the truth of what happened to me: that Matt Rutledge had used me, abused me, and raped me,” she said. “That I had been groomed and threatened into silence by a serial predator. That my youth wasn’t my youth at all.”
Both women spoke in favor of H.4538, a pending bill on Beacon Hill that would make it illegal for educators to pressure students 16 or older into sexual activity.
“Educator sexual misconduct is an epidemic in this country,” Simon said. “And this state is the only one in New England, and one of 10 across the nation, with a loophole that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to consent to sex with teachers who hold power over them. At that age, you’re still vulnerable and still in need of protection.”
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Simon likewise urged anyone with information about Rutledge or further allegations of abuse at Miss Hall’s to call the Berkshire DA’s tip line at 413-449-5055. She and Fares offered sexual assault survivors words of encouragement.
“Being back here in Pittsfield, I keep thinking about the 15-year-old girl who first arrived at Miss Hall’s nearly 20 years ago. She had no idea what was coming,” Fares said. “She went through way more than she should have. But she made it.”
She added: “The fight isn’t over. But this is accountability, and it’s a beginning.”
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