Policies

Walnut Hill does not tolerate any form of abuse, sexual or otherwise, of students or any other member of its community. We encourage anyone who has experienced, or otherwise has information about, any form of abuse to come forward and share that information with us so that we can promptly investigate it and take any action appropriate under the circumstances; we pursue these issues vigorously. In addition to undertaking our own efforts in this regard, we also scrupulously meet our obligation to immediately report any allegation of child abuse or neglect to the Massachusetts Commonwealth’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) and-–if appropriate– directly to the police. As well, all of our employees receive regular and consistent training on the importance of the mandated reporting requirements and appropriate boundary training as a requirement of their employment.

The fact that we may not be speaking publicly about a matter does not mean that it has not been addressed. It is often the case that the school will address conduct matters–whether involving students or employees – in a confidential manner. This is not to avoid difficult situations, nor to protect the reputation of the school. Rather, it is out of concern for the privacy interests of victims and the rights of those who are accused to a fair process. This is difficult, sensitive work, and the fact that much of it goes on in a confidential way should not lead anyone in our community to assume that matters have not been dealt with fairly and with an intended commitment to fostering a community welcome to all.

If there is any incident of misconduct–sexual, racial, or otherwise–that should be brought to our attention, whether it involves recent events or something that has happened in the past, we urge you to bring it forward to us. You can do that in any of several ways. You can email our Human Resources Director at rkadden@walnuthillarts.org, our Head of School at aviva@walnuthillarts.org, or, if you are uncomfortable contacting the School directly, you can report incidents through an independent consultant we have engaged, the law firm Kurker Paget, by emailing walnuthillreports@kurkerpaget.com. Kurker Paget will work with you to bring your report forward, either with attribution or anonymously as you prefer; it will investigate all credible reports; and it will report its findings and make recommendations as appropriate to the School. If you prefer to discuss an incident on the telephone, we understand, and please provide your telephone number in your email.