Still waiting on accountability from Hyde School – Published Portland Press Harold 2/11/26

It has been over six months since former student Jessica Fuller filed a lawsuit against Hyde School. She claims students endured abuse, forced labor, and lasting emotional harm.

The case is still active, but it is moving slowly, not because the claims lack merit, but because of legal rules. Since the lawsuit was filed in Maine, Fuller needs a local lawyer for the court to proceed. At the same time, Hyde has asked the court to dismiss the case entirely before it even reaches trial.

Right now, the court has not ruled on whether the claims are true, only on whether the case can continue. That means the story is far from over, even if the process feels frustratingly slow. The motion to dismiss, which would prevent the case from being fully examined, is telling.

What is most troubling, regardless of legal outcomes, is Hyde School’s continued refusal to acknowledge or take responsibility for the harm reported by former students over decades. Accounts include allegations of physical mistreatment, forced labor framed as discipline, and systems of emotional manipulation that blurred boundaries and caused long-term damage.

Shadows and Secrets -Published Woman Around Town 8/30/25

Shadows and Secrets

There was a time when mornings
unfolded slowly,
Italy’s cobblestones beneath me,
France’s light brushing my skin.
Days filled with yoga,
pedicures, unhurried walks
with my dog,
and sleep like the world owed me
every dream.
I woke late, lingered
on the patio with a book,
the sun warm on my shoulders,
time, a current
I drifted upon.

The Hidden Harm of ‘Brother’s Keeper’ at Hyde School, by Britt DiGiacomo published by Hearst Media, appeared in print in The Norwalk Hour 8/3/25.

This summer, Hyde Boarding School in Bath, Maine was hit with a federal class-action lawsuit, one that echoes what many of us have known for years.

The suit, Fuller v. Hyde School, alleges forced child labor, emotional abuse, and coercive practices masked as “character development.” Since its filing, dozens of alumni have come forward with similar stories. I’m one of them.

I attended Hyde School’s Woodstock, Connecticut campus for three and a half years. While parts of the experience, particularly family therapy, brought growth, one aspect of Hyde’s culture never left me: the brutal enforcement of “Brother’s Keeper.”

On the surface, Brother’s Keeper sounds like integrity, students holding each other accountable. But in practice, it created a hierarchy of informants and interrogators. The system rewarded betrayal, punished privacy, and manufactured fear.

Being -Published by Woman Around Town, 2/18/23

I stop dead in my tracks and look 
up at the sky. 

It’s a good thing my hands 
are free because I can’t help but throw them 
up towards the thick, layered clouds

there’s a small opening emitting light that
seems just within my reach

I pinch it, soft, peony-petal, fragile 
like tea leaves, 

The Space Between Me and Yellow

There’s this fire in my belly

Restless, tying my hair in braids 
I don’t have everything 
figured out, but I’m getting 
good at removing expectations

like
picking up a pencil 
without checking to see
if it was sharpened first  

and trying my best 
to be clear because
people can’t read 
my mind 

in modern, published by Women Around Town on 6/28/20

I’m scrolling through stories on social
because 
to engage with influencers 
will give me a chance

I’m scrolling and looking
and the thought of expressing myself

in 140 characters or less 
is simply overwhelming

I use my thumb to double click 
and as I like a post, I see 
my nails are bitten down
and stubby 

MY LOVE, Published by “Women Around Town” 2/14/19

Look at me
look passed my eyes
and listen 
 
I do not love you because I have to
or because I fear being alone 
or because time moving forward means
having to settle for the things you need
 
I am not a broken heart 
but I get cold when standing under a tree 
with the sun on the other side of the world
though, I still crave the deep shades of night 
the silence of the sky

Jupiter in Taurus, Published by “Boulder Weekly” 8/3/18

I press the snooze button on my alarm
three times and then 
finally wake up happy 
 
I step in to the outfit 
already laid out, place my foot 
in a shoe that didn’t cost 
too much, 
 
I sit on the couch drinking coffee
a stain appears on my shirt
I glance out the window – no rain
 
I scrub the stain out, 
eat the leftovers, 
eye old memories hanging 
like art on my fridge 
my phone is fully charged 

Monday Night Yoga, Published by “Women Around Town” 6/3/18

I’m flat on my back
my heels spread as wide as the mat
my fingers stretch like star shapes

my palms face up because I’m
trying to be open and at peace
I’m trying to welcome news things
like change and balance

but the man next to me is sleeping
through his shavasana and snoring
so loud I can’t count my breaths
or empty my mind or be grateful

I turn to him and whisper be here now
but he is somewhere else
and now I roam