SEXUAL MISCONDUCT RESPONSE RESOURCE

How to Find Support Following Sexual Misconduct

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking:

Get to a safe place.

Your safety is the HIGHEST priority. Get away from the assailant quickly. Call Deerfield Academy Security 413.772.9880 or call 9-1-1. 

Know that what happened was not your fault.

You are not responsible for the actions of others. No one deserves to be sexually assaulted. No one deserves to be stalked. No one has the right to hurt you or touch you against your will or without consent. It is not your fault.

If you were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of the incident, you will NOT face discipline for drug/alcohol violations.

Reach out for support.  You have choices. There is help on campus and off campus.

DA RESOURCES

  • DA Security: 413.772.9880
  • School Officer: 413.772.9070
  • Health (Chen) Center: go directly or call 413.774.1600
  • Deerfield Counselors: call 413.774.1600 and ask for the Counselor on Call.
  • Student Life Office: Deans, Asst. Head for Student Life
  • Advisor/Faculty Resident/Coach/trusted adult

*All Deerfield Academy resources are mandated reporters for any victim under the age of 18.  We are required by law to report sexual assault and misconduct to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

I NEED TREATMENT FOR PHYSICAL INJURIES AND/OR MEDICAL CARE:

  • Deerfield Academy Health (Chen) Center: Go directly or call 413.774.1600
  • Baystate Franklin Medical Center (Greenfield): 413.773.0211
  • Baystate Medical Center (Springfield): 413.794.0000

WHISTLEBLOWER HOTLINE

The Academy maintains a toll-free, independently staffed whistleblower hotline, available 24 hours a day. All calls to the hotline are confidential. You can reach the hotline at 833.619.4400.

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

  • NELCWIT 24/7 crisis hotline: 413.772.0806, 479 Main Street in Greenfield
  • Baystate Medical Center (Springfield): 413.794.0000
  • Baystate Franklin Medical Center (Greenfield): 413.773.0211
  • Local police: 911
  • Family Member(s)
  • Spiritual/religious advisor

*NELCWIT is our local sexual assault crisis center.  It provides FREE, CONFIDENTIAL counseling services for victims of sexual assault and dating violence.

Frequently Asked Questions

You have choices both on and off campus for help and support:

  • Deerfield Security: 413-772-9880
  • School Officer: 413-772-9070
  • Health Center: go directly or call 413-774-1600
  • Deerfield Counselors: call 413-774-1600 and ask for the Counselor on Call
  • Student Life Office: Deans and/or Assistant Head for Student Life
  • Reach out to a trusted adult. This includes an advisor, faculty resident, teacher, or coach.

At Deerfield, nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of the students placed in our care. If you are in immediate danger, call Deerfield Security at 413-772-9880 or 9-1-1.

All Deerfield Academy employees are mandated reporters for any victim under the age of 18. We are required by law to report sexual assault and/or misconduct to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

  • Deerfield Academy Health Center, go directly or call 413-774-1600
  • Baystate Franklin Medical Center (Greenfield): 413-773-0211
  • Baystate Medical Center (Springfield): 413-794-0000
  • NELCWIT, 479 Main Street, Greenfield, 413-772-0806
    • NELCWIT is our local sexual assault crisis center. It provides free, confidential counseling services for victims of sexual assault and dating violence.
  • The Academy maintains a toll-free, independently-staffed whistleblower hotline available 24 hours a day. All calls to the hotline are confidential. You can reach them at 833-619-4400.
  • All Academy employees are required to report a violation of the Code of Conduct and act to protect the health, welfare, and safety of the student. Reports regarding students shall be made to the Assistant Head of School for Student Life, Dean of Faculty, Chief Financial Officer, or the Head of School verbally or in writing. All reports or complaints will be investigated.

The Academy has long-established protocols for handling allegations of sexual misconduct and, over the course of the last decade, put into place numerous and overlapping safeguards to protect those in our care. In cases involving Deerfield employees, this includes alerting law enforcement and may also include the hiring of an outside investigator to look into past or historic allegations.

A detailed explanation of the process for investigation complaints of sexual misconduct against a student are outlined in the Student Handbook. If a student is suspected to be in violation of the sexual misconduct policy, a Sexual Misconduct Response Committee is convened to hear the case. The committee is composed of the Dean of Students, who chairs the committee and presents the case, a Class Dean and three trained faculty members.

In addition to the protocols outlined above for investigation allegations of sexual misconduct, we regularly review our policies and procedures involving appropriate boundaries between employees and students as well as expectations for healthy relationships between students. Detailed guidelines about the rules and expectations governing student behavior, including definitions of consent, statutory rape and unwanted sexual contact can be found in the Student Handbook. We also conduct annual training for all employees and students to ensure that they have the knowledge and support to identify and report inappropriate behavior of any kind.

  • For students in particular, information about protocols can be found in our Student Handbook. This includes detailed information about Deerfield’s Sexual Misconduct Response Committee (SMRC).
  • The handbook also includes definitions of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment and abuse so our students have a clear understanding of the conduct in question, measures in place to prevent it, and avenues for support if they are victims of or witnesses.
  • Talking with your child about sexual misconduct can be scary, but parents and other trusted adults are a crucial component to creating a safe, supportive environment among the Deerfield community.
  • Ask your child if there is anything they would like to talk about and let them know you are available as an active listener if there is anything they would like to discuss.
  • If it is helpful, remind them of the school values that Deerfield is committed to practicing at all times: acting with respect, honesty and concern for others and seeking to inspire those same values in our community and beyond. If they suspect someone of acting in a manner antithetical to these stated values, they can be assured their school will take their claims seriously and investigate them thoroughly.