BUXTON (WGME) — The Department of Education now says a former ed tech, accused of having a relationship with a high school student and getting her pregnant, did not have state approval to work in a classroom. Zachariah Sherburne worked for two school districts without the proper approval.

The MSAD 6 school board in Buxton says at one time Sherburne worked where his father is the superintendent, while also working at Sacopee Valley High School in Hiram.

Sherburne is accused of getting a 16-year-old girl from Sacopee Valley High School pregnant. Last month, he was arrested and indicted for gross sexual assault.

MSAD 6 board members say they weren’t told about the allegations against Sherburne until he was no longer working for them.

MSAD 6 has a nepotism policy that states it’s not allowed to employ a person who is a family of member of the superintendent or a board member, barring two extraordinary circumstances.

People have been criticizing Superintendent Frank Sherburne and the school district for apparently breaking the policy.

The Department of Education now says it never gave authorization for the hiring of Sherburne at MSAD 6 or at Sacopee Valley High to begin with.

By law, the Department of Education can revoke a superintendent’s certification if they’ve hired uncertified personnel.

This issue is not on the agenda for Monday’s meeting. The board says it is planning to talk about it at another meeting Tuesday night in a closed door executive session.

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