PARIS — Executive sessions, including an attempt to call one to discuss a possible lawsuit, dominated Maine School Administrative District 17’s board meeting Tuesday night.

Executive sessions involving contract negotiations were on the agenda. The first, regarding district middle management contracts, ended with directors approving the contract. Director Jennifer Russell of Paris opposed.

The second, which lasted about an hour, pertained to newly hired Superintendent Heather Manchester’s contract and was tabled.

Manchester worked all through 2022 as acting superintendent following the resignation of embattled former Superintendent Monica Henson, who left the district following allegations of employee intimidation and retaliation, as well as child abuse, the latter of which was substantiated by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Resources.

In addition to acting as superintendent last year, Manchester covered the full-time position of curriculum director from January into September.

During Tuesday night’s four-hour meeting, two additional motions were made to hold executive sessions.

Director Robert Jewell of Paris complained SAD 17’s lawyer had held an executive session on Jan. 9 with members of the policy committee and other directors who were present. Jewell had not attended that policy meeting.

Director Becky Mason of Oxford asked to have a discussion added to the agenda regarding an email she and other board members received Monday from a concerned parent.

Not all directors had read the message as of Tuesday night.

Manchester was not familiar with the situation and asked for clarification.

Director Kitty Winship of Waterford cautioned that, if the discussion were to include any personnel matters, then the appropriate action would be to go into executive session.

“I’ve never seen that we would go into executive session over an email,” Manchester said. “I think I would get a heads-up first and then bring it to the board to discuss. I don’t know anything about it. I worry about the chain of command. Typically this would be addressed by school administration first.”

“Well, you’re going to find out about it in executive session,” Jewell told her.

Director Mark Heidmann of Harrison said that if not everyone had read the message it was not the right time to call an executive session to discuss it.

“If there is a complaint about a staff member, it goes through channels, not straight to the board,” Chairwoman Judy Green of Waterford said.

Director Lew Williams of Hebron said the message was not about a SAD 17 employee, but an Oxford Hills Technical School staff member, which is outside the jurisdiction of the SAD 17 board.

Oxford Hills Technical School is not part of SAD 17 and has its own governing board of directors.

“These are separate items altogether,” Williams said. “Under those circumstances, the only thing this board should be concerned with is unsolicited emails to the board. Not the content. Not the parent. This belongs to a totally different school unit.”

Heidmann objected to any motion that would add the issue to the board’s agenda if it was not the responsibility of the board to address.

“I would at least like advice on this,” Mason said. “I do not want a parent to feel unheard.”

Green acknowledged her request was feasible and called for a motion to add a discussion on handling emails from members of the public to the agenda, which was made, seconded and approved.

That issue resolved, Jewell requested that the board go into executive session over another matter.

“This is about an impending lawsuit that the board has not been informed of yet,” Jewell said.

Winship asked if the executive session would involve a personnel issue.

“It’s a lawsuit,” Jewell said. “It’s going to involve personnel.”

Directors voted to add an executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss, but Manchester made a point of order about the issue.

“All of a sudden we’re adding things in a way we just haven’t done before,” she cautioned.

Later, when the topic was raised, Manchester doubled down on its appropriateness.

“I don’t believe we have the authority to do this,” she said. “We don’t have our attorneys present. If and when we were in a lawsuit we would have our attorneys present to have this conversation.”

“I suggest we go into executive session,” Jewell insisted, pulling an inch-thick stack of documents from an envelope. “This, this is, I have this. The newspaper can have this. I really suggest we go into executive session. If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

“I am trying to find a legal reason to,” Manchester said. The district’s attorneys were not present, she said, and “I don’t want to do something that is illegal.”

Williams asked Manchester if she knew what was pending.

“She already has it,” Jewell interjected. “She has not brought it to the board.”

“I do not know what you’re holding onto,” Manchester told him.

When Jewell flashed a page from the stack of papers she indicated that she recognized it, telling him, “When there is an appropriate time, we will bring it to the board.”

Green then said it was time to adjourn the meeting and Williams made the motion, which was seconded and approved by all but five directors: Jewell, Troy Ripley and Christie Wessels, both of Paris, Rose Lacasse of Harrison and Veronica Poland of West Paris.

“I don’t think we should adjourn to avoid issues,” Ripley said.

“We are trying to avoid an illegal move on the part of the board,” Green said. “This is to protect the board.”

“It is highly unusual for a board member to try to go into executive session for something you may know of but haven’t had the time to put things together,” Williams said. “That is your prerogative, as far as I’m concerned. I will have nothing more to do with this. You have received something and referred it to our attorney?”

“Yes,” Manchester said.

“OK, that is enough for me,” Williams said and left the meeting.

Green reconfirmed the vote and adjourned the meeting without allowing further discussion.

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