Focus: Adults in the Room: Daily Summaries Delivered

Adults in the Room Live: A behind-the-scenes look at an investigation 25 years in the making

The podcast 'Adults in the Room' revisits a 1999 scandal at Seattle's Garfield High School involving a beloved teacher, Tom Hudson, accused of sexual misconduct, exploring the trauma, institutional failures, and lasting impact on students and the community, while emphasizing the importance of believing survivors and holding institutions accountable. What began as a personal reckoning for former students Isolde Raftery and Ella Hushagen evolved into a national conversation about how schools protect predators, silence whistleblowers, and fail victims—revealing patterns that persist today despite increased awareness.

Adults in the Room: Bad Apples

A surprise archival interview with a former Garfield High School principal reveals that the teacher abuse problem at the school extended beyond Tom Hudson. Isolde discovers that the district received numerous credible allegations of temper outbursts and sexual harassment about her Garfield journalism teacher, Dave Ehrich, but kept him in the classroom until his retirement in 2019. As Isolde looks into the district’s recent history addressing repeat allegations against teachers, she finds more examples of teachers who were physically and sexually abusive towards multiple students, but were still allowed to keep their jobs. After a conversation with Ella and former Garfield classmate Rosie Bancroft, Isolde sits down with the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools to ask why predators are given multiple chances to stay in the classroom, and how he intends to make schools safer for kids. This episode includes an explicit description of a sexual act, and discussion of sexual harassment. Please take care while listening. Get in touch with the team by email at focus@kuow.org. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus. Adults in the Room is part of FOCUS, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network. It is hosted by Isolde Raftery. Original reporting by Isolde Raftery, Jeannie Yandel, and Will James. Our producers are Will James and Alec Cowan. Our editor is Jeannie Yandel. Music by BC Campbell. A special thank you to Ella Hushagen, without whom this project would not be possible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adults in the Room: The Boy in the Photograph

Adults in the Room: The Bet

Adults in the Room: Jonathan

Adults in the Room: Blame the Messenger

This episode of Adults in the Room revisits a high school journalism scandal from 25 years ago, where two student reporters exposed allegations of abuse by a beloved teacher, only to face institutional gaslighting, social ostracism, and trauma that reshaped their lives. The story culminates in the teacher’s suicide, raising enduring questions about truth, responsibility, and the cost of speaking up.

Adults in the Room: The Price of Belief

This episode of 'Adults in the Room' explores how a high school journalism project unraveled a culture of inappropriate teacher-student relationships at Seattle’s Garfield High School in the late 1990s, exposing systemic failures and the personal cost of speaking out. It’s a reckoning with power, loyalty, and the blurred lines between mentorship and exploitation.

Adults in the Room: Mounting Danger

This episode of Adults in the Room introduces a decades-long reckoning with power, truth, and memory at Seattle’s Garfield High School, centered on biology teacher Tom Hudson. What begins as a heroic mountain rescue story unravels into a complex investigation of institutional trust, adult behavior, and the cost of speaking up.