The board also voted on a new school calendar.
By Eileen M. Adams
Staff Writer

RUMFORD – The SAD 43 board expelled a middle school student at Monday’s meeting and continued with existing disciplinary action for a high school boy.

The board also adopted a school calendar that begins before Labor Day and moves early release days from Mondays to Wednesdays.

Following a 30-minute closed session with a Mountain Valley Middle School girl, a parent, special education director and the principal and assistant principal, board member Courtney Prentiss motioned to expel the girl until evidence is shown that the behavior that caused the expulsion would not be repeated. No details were given for the cause of the disciplinary action.

A 20-minute closed session with a Mountain Valley High School boy, his parents, and the principal and assistant principal of the school resulted in “continued existing disciplinary action.” No further explanation was provided by administration.

The board also adopted a 2003-04 school calendar that begins in late August and ends in early June.

The decision was not unanimous.

Board member Rosie Bradley argued that since Labor Day is the last weekend of summer, students should return to school after the weekend, not before. If the district had adopted the later start date, it would align itself with SAD 44 and the Region 9 School of Applied Technology.

As it is, SAD 43 and SAD 21 will start during the last week of August. The Peru School district has not yet decided its start date.

Because of the differences in the start dates for the school systems, some classes at Region 9 will likely have to be made up by one or more of the member districts.

Prior to the vote, several administrators said that they favored the early start date because children are ready to return to school in August.

“If kids are going to go to school in warm weather, it’s better to come in August than go later in June,” said MVMS Principal Charles Lever.

Bradley, and board member Tracey Higley, also argued for moving the district’s five early release days from the current Monday to Friday.

The board majority, however, agreed that although Monday wasn’t working because it causes an interruption just as the week begins, Friday likely wouldn’t work either.

They voted to move the early release days for students to Wednesdays. These afternoons allow teachers to work on such things as the Maine Learning Results and requirements for the federal program known as No Child Left Behind.

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