Update, 9/18/18: The letter in support of Christine Blasey Ford was made public on Tuesday, signed by 600 verified alumnae of Holton-Arms School.

The class of 1984, of which Ford was a part, separately wrote a letter addressed to the U.S. Congress to “attest to her honesty, integrity, and intelligence; and to contend that her decision to provide information pertaining to a sexual assault is not a partisan act. It is an act of civic duty and the experience she described in her letter needs to be seriously considered. We represent all political parties and we support Christine bringing this matter forward.”

Original: Hundreds of fellow Holton-Arms School graduates have signed a letter in support of Christine Blasey Ford, the professor who has gone public with her allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh. (Image via Wikimedia)

“We believe Dr. Blasey Ford and are grateful that she came forward to tell her story,” the letter from a group of classmates who graduated from 1967-2018.

Ford told The Washington Post that, when both of them attended private high schools in Montgomery County more than 30 years ago, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her, grinded against her, and tried to pull off her clothes, putting his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream.

Kavanaugh attended Georgetown Prep, which, like Holton-Arms, is a well-to-do single-sex private school in Bethesda.

After Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, Ford told her congresswoman, Anna Eshoo, about the allegations through a letter, which was also sent to Senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The New Yorker reported the contents of the letter on Friday, before Ford came forward publicly with her story. Kavanaugh denies the allegations.

One of the Holton-Arms alumna organizing the effort, Sarah Wolfolds (her maiden name is Reynolds), says that Ford’s experience resonated with her and some of the other members of the class of 2005.

“We understand the difficulty in coming forward when you have stories like these,” Wolfolds says. “We’re already seeing the kind of scrutiny she’s facing … The original aim was firstly just to provide support for [Ford] and say, ‘Hey, there are classmates of yours but also just alums of the same school that support you and know you’re probably going through a rough time right now in taking this brave step.'”

The open letter from Holton-Arms alumnae says that her story “demands a thorough and independent investigation before the Senate can reasonably vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to a lifetime seat on the nation’s highest court. Dr. Blasey Ford’s experience is all too consistent with stories we heard and lived while attending Holton. Many of us are survivors ourselves.”

As of Monday afternoon, more than 430 people had signed the letter, says Wolfolds. Actress and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who graduated Holton-Arms in 1979, tweeted that she was among the signatories.

The Huffington Post reports that Holton-Arms Head of School Susanna Jones released a statement in support of Ford: “As a school that empowers women to use their voices, we are proud of this alumna for using hers.”

Before details of her allegations emerged, but after the existence of Ford’s letter to Feinstein had been reported, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday released a letter signed by 65 women who wrote they knew Kavanaugh during his high school years through sports, social events, church, and other activities.

“For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect,” the letter says.

Politico reached out to the 65 women after the details of Ford’s allegations emerged, and so far, five of them continue to stand by him. Most of the others have not responded to requests for comment.

While Republicans were planning to confirm Kavanaugh by the end of September, there are increasing calls, including from a few GOP lawmakers, not to move forward until hearing from Ford. She has now agreed to provide testimony to the Senate.

According to reporting from Politico and The Washington Post, the White House does not intend to rescind Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Both of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, Kavanaugh and confirmed Justice Neil Gorsuch, are graduates of Georgetown Prep.

Wolfolds calls Ford’s story of sexual assault “all too familiar,” but doesn’t consider it “prep school-specific or D.C.-area-specific issue. I think this is a problem that our entire country and beyond deals with.”

The open letter from Holton-Arms alumnae seeks more signatories, noting that the names of those who sign may become public. Wolfolds says the next step is to verify all of the names as alumnae before sending the letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Updated with comment from Sarah Wolfolds and with new figures about the number of signatories.

Reporting contributed by Elly Yu.