Nine more staffers at the now-closed Eagleton School are facing criminal charges in connection with student abuse at the Berkshire County facility. This makes a total of 16 workers who are accused in the case.
The charges against the nine defendants include assaulting a disabled person, assault with a dangerous weapon and witness intimidation. Eagleton people pleaded not guilty this week in Southern Berkshire District Court in Great Barrington, while a ninth failed to appear. Seven other Eagleton staffers face more serious charges in Berkshire Superior Court.
The private school for boys and young men with emotional disabilities lost its operating license last month after state education officials said Eagleton failed to address the abuse claims.