LEWISTON — A Lewiston Middle School teacher has filed a formal complaint with school administration against a School Committee member for displaying her address on social media.
Multilingual teacher Joelle Jackson filed the complaint against Meghan Hird for a Sept. 20 Facebook post she created displaying a photo of Jackson’s husband, Joseph, along with a screenshot of her home address from Maine’s Sex Offender Registry. Joseph Jackson is a convicted sex offender and information, including the home address, is on the registry.
Superintendent Jake Langlais said he needs to research whether the online posting is a violation.
Hird’s lawyer, Mitchel Roberge, said she has done nothing improper or illegal and declined to comment further.
The post on Hird’s Ward 6 Facebook page displays a screenshot of the Maine Inside Out website of Joseph’s photo alongside photos of other Maine Inside Out members, a screenshot of Joseph’s home address from the Sex Offender Registry and a photo of accused murderer Marcel LaGrange.
Joseph is a member of the Maine Inside Out organization that works with incarcerated youth to create art. The organization had been working in the Lewiston Middle School to help students create an original school play about social issues that impact the students, which is performed for the community.
Those services were suspended at the end of the last school year after school administrators were told that LaGrange had access to Lewiston Middle School students through the organization. After administrators investigated the claims, they found no legitimate evidence that LaGrange had access to students through the organization.
However, Maine Inside Out members did invite LaGrange to a play the organization hosted for students and open to the public and outside school hours last May. About a month later, LaGrange was alleged to have killed two people in Westbrook.
The School Committee voted at a previous meeting to table negotiations with the organization on an agreement that would allow it to work with Lewiston students in city schools again. It is unclear when it will be discussed again.
During a Sept. 25 School Committee meeting, Joelle Jackson said the post makes her feel less safe in the community. She said marriage, racism and heartbreak are part of the reason why Joseph is listed on the registry. She asked people for compassion and understanding when people move on from their mistakes.
Jackson did not respond Thursday to a request for further comment about the complaint.
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