PARIS — After a third school board director resigned from Maine School Administrative District 17 last month, policy BCA, DIRECTOR CODE OF CONDUCT and how it can be applied has come under scrutiny.
One of the school board directors who resigned in December, Shauna Broyer of Oxford, did so in part, she says, because she has witnessed one board member violating that policy at least five times in the six months she served.
Another Oxford director who stepped down, Stacia Cordwell, wrote in her letter of resignation about board members using tactics like bullying and intimidation to silence differing positions.
School board Chair, Natalie Andrews of West Paris, told the Advertiser Democrat that the behavior Broyer and Cordwell described is not bound by the policy.
“It’s in the first paragraph,” she told the Advertiser Democrat Tuesday morning. “The code of conduct is meant for self-evaluation. It is not intended to be used in judgment of a director by others.”
Provisions of the policy that Broyer said other members have violated include part C: ‘I will make no public disparaging remarks, in or out of the Board meetings, about other Directors or their opinions;’ and H: ‘I will accept a decision once it has been made by the majority of the Board and will not actively work against it.’
“The code of conduct does not supersede anyone’s first amendment rights,” Andrews stated.
Andrews released the following email statement in response to Broyer’s interview with the Advertiser Democrat on Dec. 26.
“My board colleagues donate countless hours away from their jobs and personal time to attend to the duties and responsibilities of a collaborative school board,” she wrote. “The pressures and diverse opinions can be a great deal to manage for new and seasoned board members at times. A board as large as this one can only function productively if it adheres to State statute and our own policies. We strive to practice this through fairness and consistency.
“We also independently govern ourselves by accepting the principles set forth in our own Code of Conduct (Policy BCA). However, this Code of Conduct is intended to be used for self-evaluation, by each director, to become better directors. It is not intended to be used in judgement of a director by others.
“I can only express my gratitude for Shauna and all board members who have given their time and energy to make our local schools better for our students.”
Interpretation of Maine School Administrative District 17’s school board code of conduct is at the center of recent school board director resignations.
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