Marla Weiss

School Scandalle: a Novel Marla Weiss

Molly Kelman, a well-educated, ambitious, mid-thirties, married, mother of two, seeking a new career joins Charles Long, the charismatic, inspirational, and eccentric headmaster of Merritt Country Day in Palm Beach, to build a model school. Despite Molly's extraordinary success, Charlotte Merritt, MCD's cofounder, warns Molly that Charles will betray her. Molly, noticing Charles's flirtatiousness, decides the betrayal will be sexual harassment and guards against innuendoes. A betrayal, unfathomable to Molly's idealistic values, occurs, sending Molly into despair. She continues working at MCD but ultimately resigns. Parents clamoring for her return put Molly and Charles in awkward positions. School Scandalle readers initially laugh, as a duplicitous Charles and an exasperated Molly traverse academic misadventures, and finally cry over ills befalling education.