House Speaker Sara Gideon said Friday she has asked state Rep. Dillon Bates of Westbrook to resign his seat in the Legislature, citing allegations in a published report that he engaged in inappropriate behavior with several female students.

“The allegations made against Rep. Bates’ are deeply troubling,” Gideon said in a statement issued Friday. “I cannot condone this behavior, I value the voices of the young women who came forward and I have requested that Rep. Bates resign from office immediately.”

Bates, 30, is a longtime coach and teacher who resigned abruptly last fall from his job as drama teacher at Maine Girls Academy in Portland. He told a reporter at the time that he resigned for family reasons.

Bates did not immediately respond to request for comment Friday. Bates is a two-term representative who is not running for re-election this fall. He was also a delegate to the 2008 and 2012 Democratic State Conventions.

The Bollard, a monthly publication in Portland, published a story on Friday alleging that Bates had inappropriate relationships with “at least three” female students over several years. The story did not identify the students or the sources who made the allegations.

The story quoted one woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, who said she was a victim.

Bates has been credentialed as an education technician for the state of Maine since November 2013. His credential, which expired July 1, is still valid, according to the Maine Department of Education, because rules allow an existing credential to remain in effect until a renewal application is being processed.

The department has had a six- to eight-week delay recently in processing credentials.

Bates has been continuously employed as a coach or teacher for years, and is involved in public theater. He co-owns a theater company in Westbrook and was a former camp counselor and director at Schoolhouse Arts Center at Sebago Lake.

After he left Maine Girls Academy in November 2017, he coached the boys and girls track teams at Massabesic High School in Regional School Unit 57.

According to RSU 57 school board minutes, he was hired in April to be the head coach for the cross country team at Massabesic High School this fall. The season for that team starts August 13.

Calls to the superintendent of RSU 57 to confirm Bates’ employment were not returned Friday.

Bates has been an athletic coach or drama teacher at multiple schools, including Greely Middle School in Cumberland, Lincoln Middle School in Portland, Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, Gorham High School and Great Falls Elementary School in Gorham.

This story will be updated.

Noel K. Gallagher can be reached at 791-6387 or at:

ngallagher@pressherald.com

Twitter: noelinmaine