My orginal public response:

I’ve been sitting with this devastating knowledge for a long time, and the enormity is still shocking to me. I've known since 2018, which feels like an eternity. Now it’s public, and I need to share thoughts.

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On Saturday, Airmail, an online new source, released an article detailing the Paul Green School of Rock creator's horrifying patterns of abuse and control over PGSOR kids.

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I spoke at length with the journalist, Ezra, am quoted in the article and connected the journalist to some others whose stories he told, and I need to share my thoughts, here about everything.

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In the earliest days of School of Rock, I wasn’t just “there.” I was in it.

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I helped build it from the ground up. I found the original building. I negotiated the lease. Part of the “loan” that got it off the ground came from my tax refund. I organized, chaperoned practices, worked the shows.

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I did the design, all the press and outreach. I told the story, over and over. I talked to everyone who would listen. I begged musicians to teach.

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I helped people believe in it. I made sure people I loved were ready when franchises became available. I believed in it completely.

I believed we were creating something extraordinary.

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It was supposed to be place where kids could find their voice, their power, their music, and their people. A place where cliques were left at the door. Where kids who didn’t fit in anywhere else could finally feel like they belonged.

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But now the truth is out. And it is devastating. If I had even an inkling of what a monster Paul would become, of the escalation and the harm, I would have done everything in my power to shut the school down and end his access to kids.

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It is both fortunate and unfortunate that PGSOR became School of Rock in 2009 and Paul stepped away completely in 2010.

It’s fortunate because School of Rock is free of all of his tyranny and abuse. Unfortunate, in the length of time he had to impact kids so horribly.

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There is a sorrow inside of me that has no edges, no end, a sorrow born of knowing that something I helped build created fear, abuse and pain for you.

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Above all else, the well-being of every former student weighs on my soul. If I can support anyone involved, I am here.

To every student who was hurt, the apology I’ve carried in my bones since 2018, for being part of the beginning of PGSOR, is unwavering. It’s too vast for words. It lives in my soul, and it always will.

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I am sorry.

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In 2018, when Paul Green came back to Philly, no longer affiliated with SOR, he opened a new school, under his name.

When news of his new school went public, I started hearing disturbing stories of what had happened in the early years, after I left.

All the stories came through secondhand parties. The stories were of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. People were saying, tell Deanna, she will do something.

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No one was ready to speak directly, but what I heard sent me into a rage and I went on a warpath.

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I called PA ChildLine three separate times, but because the students were now adults, they couldn’t help. I contacted the Philly Police Department. They sent me to Special Victims, but because I was a third party and hadn’t personally witnessed anything, and the kids were now adults, they couldn’t help.

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Another organization that counseled victims of abuse received my case, but they offered no additional advice. It seemed there was nothing I could do.

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I reached out to journalists who had reported powerfully about Me Too. Nothing happened.

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I made sure everyone who spoke to me as a go between knew I would support any one ready to tell the story of what happened to them.

My last attempt was to do the only thing I knew to do. I made posts on here saying I was fighting for a group of victims, who were not ready to speak up themselves, and gave them an open invitation to reach out to me anytime to, move forward.

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I shared I was always there to stand beside them if they wanted to come forward.

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Silence followed. And I needed to honor that silence because until they were ready, it was not my story to tell.

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It is important to acknowledge the profound courage it took for the former students to speak up.

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I understand just how hard that was. Paul, as awful as he was, had a hold over people, especially the students. His charisma, his manipulation, the way he positioned himself as the center of everything, it created a kind of loyalty that was hard to untangle.

Breaking free of that takes enormous strength. Speaking up, especially publicly, takes even more. These students didn’t just share their stories. They did so when they had the emotional capacity to face the weight of it, to carry the cost of being visible.

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And they did it, most likely, to protect others. To make sure no other kid would have to live through what they did. That is bravery. That is deep, soul-level courage. I see it. I honor it. And I will stand beside it, always.

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In January 2024, Ezra Marcus reached out. A former student contacted him and started talking. Ezra was a journalist from the NY Times/Rolling Stone who had broken another story of adults manipulating young adults. He had already spoken with several students and was invested in telling the story of the dark side of PGSOR.

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He asked if I would share, on the record, and once I started talking, I couldn't stop.

Finally, it was time.

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I had no idea the full extent of the horrors that had unfolded, in the years following my departure from PGSOR, even after Ezra and I spoke.

I only learned the whole story, so far, when I read the article, which came out Saturday. There are really no words to describe how I felt after reading the article. It is impossible to capture the combination of rage, hurt, fear, anger, guilt and hatred I felt thinking about how he harmed so many kids.

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deeply and in ways I’m still trying to process.

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I am experiencing a mess of emotions. But what I am experiencing pales in comparison to what those kids felt then and as adults, how they feel now.

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I feel overwhelmed by guilt. I can’t stop asking myself whether, if I had stayed, I could have stopped it. Could I have protected more kids? Could I have made a bigger difference? That question is with me every day.

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And then there is the rage, steady, rising, and fierce. I feel a need for justice that won’t quiet down.

Since learning the full truth, I have been overtaken at times with a fire to make sure he never harms anyone again. They only way I can see that happening is by making sure the voice of these kids is shared, everywhere.

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And then there is the sadness and profound grief. It’s immense. My heart is broken open for every single kid who was hurt.

For the ones who were silenced.

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For the ones who stopped playing music.

For the ones still carrying pain.

For the ones who will never share their story.

I see you. I carry you with me, in my heart, every single day..

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To every student who walked through those doors, whether you remember me or not, I see you.

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I’m so sorry. So deeply sorry that something I helped create harmed you.

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I love you, even if I've never met you, I love you and hope you can find healing and peace again.

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You deserved to be protected. You deserved better. You still do.

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My door and my heart will always be open to you, until my dying breath. If you need me, I will do my very best to support you.

To any of the parents who are reeling right now, to any of the instructors who are remembering things through a new lens. If you’re feeling this heartbreak and this anger too, I’m here. You are not alone. My door is open. My heart is open.

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And I want to make something clear. Back then, it was The Paul Green School of Rock. Paul was the oppressor. He built a system around himself that centered his power and control. He was the malignancy, the idea, the magic, the kids are and were beautiful.

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For all involved, I want you to know. I’m here. I always have been. To witness. To support. To listen. To believe you.

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If you're a former student, parent, or teacher who wants to talk, share, or just be witnessed—my inbox is open. You can message me privately. No pressure, no expectations. Just presence.

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If you’re feeling triggered or overwhelmed, please take care of yourself first. Breathe. Step away if you need to. This is heavy. Your nervous system is not wrong for how it’s reacting.

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If you’re not ready to speak, that’s okay. Silence can be sacred. I’ll be here if and when you ever are, if you ever want a safe space to decompress.

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If you want resources for processing trauma, talking to someone, or finding support—I’ll do what I can to help connect you. You are not alone.

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And I’ll say this clearly, loudly and with my whole soul, Paul Green should never again be allowed near young people ever again. You can make sure this is true my sharing this story as much as you can.

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This is a horrible story. There’s no easy ending.

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But I am standing here now with my full heart and full presence, ready to be part of whatever healing, truth-telling, or accountability needs to come next.