RUMFORD - In addition to discussing SAD 43's plan for consolidating with SADs 21 and 31, and Hanover, directors and Superintendent James Hodgkin addressed ramifications of last week's teen booze party in Roxbury.

At that party that started Tuesday night at Bunker Pond, and ended early Wednesday morning when state police broke it up, 19 18-year-olds and six 17-year-olds were summoned on charges of underage drinking. One 18-year-old was also arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct and released on $150 unsecured bail. All will be arraigned in August in Rumford District Court.

Most were Mountain Valley High School graduates, many were top students, and all were Drug Abuse Resistance Education graduates, Hodgkin said.

Since it became public, Hodgkin said that both he and Principal Matt Gilbert have fielded numerous calls from many parents, people and students, ranging from wanting examples to be made, to learning how it would affect graduation.

Because it wasn't done at a school function and happened off school grounds, Hodgkin explained it wasn't an issue with which the school should deal.

"From a disciplinary standpoint, it's not our job," he said.

However, summoned students who were on the boys and girls tennis teams were removed by the school.

Additionally, the National Honor Society removed a number of students from that organization and suspended others, Hodgkin said. By suspension, he meant they were not allowed to wear their earned NHS sashes at graduation.

"The biggest implication comes if they're planning on joining a fraternity or sorority in college, because they cannot now," he said.

It also affected some scholarships, awards and recognitions from outside the school realm.

Additionally, because Hodgkin considered the party one incident in the students' 13 years of schooling and successes, he said they shouldn't be disciplined for it at graduation.

Had it happened last fall, no one would consider its effect on graduation, he added, reading from his prepared two-page statement on the affair and how he handled it.

"Graduation and the events around graduation are a celebration of the entire 13 years of accomplishments. If we were to decide whether a student participated in graduation based upon a disciplinary act, most students would not get to participate. A major role for schools is to teach students how to learn," he stated in one excerpt.

Hodgkin said the statement was his alone and not that of the board. However, he asked for and got directors' permission to release it to the media provided it be used in its entirety and not edited. The complete version is available online at www.sunjournal.com.

"While I don't condone the choice made by these students, I stand by them and my claim that these are some of the finest young people I have ever met. I also stand by our decision not to mix the events of this teen party with their 13-year accomplishment," Hodgkin read.

In other business, Hodgkin went through the consolidation plan section by section explaining it at length and taking comments from directors.

Because there is still a chance that SAD 39 could pull out, the superintendent explained that numbers regarding the weighted method of voting by 17 directors and guesstimated costs savings, could change.

After suggesting minor changes, the board voted 7-3 to submit it to the Department of Education.

Mexico Director Betty Barrett, Rumford Director Ed Flynn and Roxbury Director Mark Henry were the lone dissenters.

"I certainly am not happy with this. I'd like for us to stay SAD 43," Barrett said.

Henry said he was following the wishes of Roxbury selectmen.

"They don't want us to be in this," he said.