PITTSFIELD, Mass.— While awaiting findings from the Pittsfield High School (PHS) staff investigation, the City Council voiced its support for legislation aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse.  

They urged people at home and in other communities to follow suit.

"This isn't going to happen by just Pittsfield asking," Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said during Tuesday's meeting. 

"We need to get our surrounding counties doing the same thing."

Councilor At Large Earl Persip III, Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren, and Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey's petitions to support Senate bills 1993, 1441, and 1367 were unanimously approved.  The state delegation, mayor, and School Committee will be notified of their stance.

Three PHS staff members were placed on administrative leave in December, including a dean who was arrested on drug-trafficking charges. The others are being investigated by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The district is also facing a civil lawsuit over inappropriate conduct by a former teacher.

The accusations against the PHS administrators have not been released and a former staffer also under DCF investigation has been cleared of any misconduct.

"We're dealing with some very serious issues in the city, we all know that, both on the city side and on the school side," Warren said.

Earlier this month during a presentation from the nonprofit Enough Abuse, councilors were disappointed to learn of a few prevention bills that have yet to pass and Persip said "Pass those along to us."  Senate 1993 deals with online child sexual abuse material, Senate 1441 enhances hiring practices to prevent sexual abuse, and Senate 1367 deals with the age of consent.

"The delay in these bills are the reason why people don't have faith in government at times," Persip said.

"It's a shame that it's taken 10-plus years for this to get done. It's still not done. I think anything we can do to help budge this and move it forward is helpful so I hope I have everybody's— we have everybody's support."

Kavey said, "It has taken a very long time so it's part of the reason why we thought this was important."

"I know that all of you support this, but it's nice to see the unification of all of us and the Berkshire delegation saying it needs to get done," he added. "And if it comes down to it, maybe a few of us can go to Boston and lobby for it there, but hopefully, we see some change happen a little bit quicker; it doesn't take another decade."

Senate Bill 1993, sponsored by Sen. Paul Mark, was created to address the "exponentially growing problem of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM)" and would enable the prosecution of people who create or share sexually explicit images of children that are technologically edited, collaged, morphed, or AI-generated. 

Senate Bill 1367, also sponsored by Lovely, imprisons any adult in a position of authority, trust, or supervision over a child under 18 who sexually abuses them and deems the child incapable of consenting. This closes the "age of consent loophole" that often prevents prosecution of child sexual abuse of children over the age of 16, the age of consent in Massachusetts.

Senate 1367, sponsored by Lovely, imprisons any adult in a position of authority, trust, or supervision over a child under 18 who sexually abuses them and deems the child incapable of consenting.  This closes the "age of consent loophole'' that often prevents prosecution of child sexual abuse of children over the age of 16, the state of MA's age of consent.

Warren said this is the "most important" bill.

"This is why some of the cases that we've seen both locally and across the state and elsewhere haven't gone too far because of the age of consent," he said.

"This issue where people are being predators or grooming. They're grooming people that are just under the age and just when they cross the age of consent, that's when action starts happening and nothing can be done, because it's after the age of consent."

This came into play during the Pittsfield Police Department's investigation of former Miss Hall's School Matthew Rutledge and former students.

In October, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office concluded that, under Massachusetts's General Law, no criminal conduct occurred.  District Attorney Shugrue stated, "Massachusetts law defines the age of consent as 16. While the alleged behavior is profoundly troubling, it is not illegal."

In his conclusion of the investigation, Shugrue expressed support for proposed Bill Number 1036: "An Act Relative to Sexual Assault by Adults in Positions of Authority or Trust."

"Clearly, someone who is in a position of power like a teacher or someone such as that should be held to a higher standard," Warren said.

"So there needs to be a difference in the age of consent."


 

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