A private all-girls academy in Massachusetts promised a nurturing education rooted in community. But when it abruptly closed, students were left without a school and teachers without paychecks and promised benefits, they say.
The Academy at Penguin Hall abruptly shut down in June, and its president and board filed for bankruptcy in the same week. The school collapsed under $26 million in debt, according to court documents.
By then, most families had already paid the roughly $46,000 in tuition for the upcoming school year.
“This money wasn’t easy for us to part with. We’re not a family that can write a $46,000 check,” said Richmond Dawson, a parent of a former student.
Teachers told NBC10 Boston they’re out too — unpaid, uninsured, some missing up to 18 months of retirement contributions that were deducted from their paychecks but never deposited.
They said paychecks bounced repeatedly over the years before the bankruptcy. Health coverage was cut in March, but staff say they weren’t notified until July — and some are now facing thousands in medical debt.
Teachers said they felt blindsided, and want accountability.
“They need to be stopped,” former teacher Reya Al-Khalili said. “Basically, it’s embezzlement, it’s taking people’s wages, their pay. It’s criminal activity.”
Requests for comment from the former president of The Academy at Penguin Hall and her husband, who was also a board member, and their lawyer were not immediately returned.