Oxford Hills School Board Temporarily Blocks Gender Schools Details: WebThe policy fight in the Oxford Hills School System is playing out in every Maine school district, as activists both on the Maine Department of Education payroll and at non-profit partner organizations oxford hills superintendent office Verified 6 days ago The Oxford Hills School District, in partnership with parents and communities, engages and supports all students in diverse and challenging learning opportunities to prepare them to graduate as healthy, responsible and productive citizens, ready to succeed in our global societies. Given the number of issues that are in corrective action at Agnes Gray that I do not want to present in public session, Henson explained, I am of the firm opinion that the best course is not to go through a shuffle of going through a process and potentially ending up with another principal. "In a statement where she forcefully denied the accusations against her, Dr. Henson asked why the teachers had not gone to the board before Tuesday. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WMTW-TV. Oxford Hills School Board accepts superintendent's resignation Oxford Hills teachers cast vote of no confidence for superintendent - WCSH Here we are four months later and her rights are still being trampled on.. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. THEY WILL ALSO PAY HER 5,500 DOLLARS IN HER LEGAL FEES. Henson had been on paid leave since January over allegations she pulled an elementary student by their arms in September. Oxford Hills school school to pay former superintendent $174K - WMTW Theres a lot of fear of job termination, theres a lot of feeling like were being watched, that somebody is just waiting for us to mess up so we can be reprimanded. Nicole Carter. AND THE OHEA HAS NEGLECTED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY AND INSTEAD TRY TO HIJACK THE PUBLIC NARRATIVE WITH A COLLTIECON OF FALSEHOODS AND VAGUE EXPRESSIONS OF "CONCERN" THAT IS EASILY DISPROVABLE." Henson is accused of grabbing a student by the arm and pulling him into an office while she was filling in as principal at Agnes Gray Elementary in September. 2023 NEWS CENTER Maine. Hazel Park man ordered to trial in boxcutter attack Already registered? Saatva Mattress Review: Our Pick for the Best Overall Bed of 2023, We Found 12 Cute Planters and Flower Pots That Cost Less Than $25, Here's Where to Watch and Stream Marvel's 'Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' Online. "We take those accusations very seriously," Jordan added. The complaints were brought to the school board in a meeting Tuesday. Login. South Paris ME, 04281. And theres some concern about how chain of command is being portrayed in how it should be used, and then how it is being used. ?27 COMPLAINTS WERE BROUGHT TO THEOA BRD LT AS NIGHT AT A MEETING, BUT THE MOST SERIOUS COMPLAINT INVOLVED AN INCIDENT AT AGNES GRAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER WHEN DR. HENSON ALLEGEDLY P UT HER HANDS ON A STUDENT AGGRESSIVELY, SOMETHING THE TEACHERS UNION PRESIDENT SAYS HAS BEEN LARGELY IGNORED TO THIS POINT. Waterbury Superintendent Verna Ruffin. Oxford Hills School Board Chair Natalie Andrews told NEWS CENTER Maine the vote was unanimous. The Oxford Hills School District has agreed to pay their former superintendent Monica Henson $174,500. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page. "There are some vocal constituencies, but I don't think they represent the majority of the staff. The complaints were brought to the school board in a meeting Tuesday. Oxford Hills superintendent accused of creating culture of fear and intimidation 27 complaints were levied against Dr. Monica Henson, including an allegation that she aggressively touched a. To date, no letters have been received during either the first or second quarter.. Multiple People Rescued From Burning Indianapolis Building, Mistrial Declared in Tucson for Man Charged in Girl's Death, Wisconsin Substance Center Owes $2m in Medicaid Fraud Case. Letter from Superintendent - August 27, 2021 Educators at the school say the Oxford County Sheriffs Office was there Tuesday conducting interviews about the incident. Chairwoman Natalie Andrews of West Paris interrupted Jordan. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. You can share 5 more gift articles this month. Superintendent of Schools. THE AGREEMENT ALSO BARS THE DISTRICT AND HENSON FROM TALKING ABOUT THIS PUBLIC. Create a commenting profile by providing an email address, password and display name. She has a running knowledge of everything that is going on within the district right now.. Henson provided a lengthy written statement early Wednesday to the Advertiser Democrat, noting that a no-confidence vote is a sign that an administrator is doing the work they were hired to do. . Superintendent Dr. Monica Henson has been accused of assaulting a student at Agnes Gray Elementary School. The official Facebook Page of the fifth-largest school district in Maine. They will also pay her $5,500 in legal fees. In cases of bullying, the Superintendent will monitor situations that are not being resolved at the school level and guide the process if necessary. The childs parents, Eric Bennett and Ashley Rowe, did not learn the full details of the incident until reading it in the press last week. Those records are also confidential, and the department did not wish to comment on the matter. REGION Educators in Oxford Hills have pulled out all the stops to pack as many books as possible into this week's annual Read Across America event. Hi, to comment on stories you must create a commenting profile. Oxford Hills School District will be a bully-free zone, effective immediately. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. On Jan. 19, directors instructed district Chief Child Services Officer Jan Neureuther to report the incident to DHHS. I told the board that they should be ashamed of themselves that they had this reported by three different people, and they pushed it under the rug until the media got involved.. West Bloomfield man sentenced to 65-year prison term in Indiana The alleged incident happened Sept. 9 at Agnes Grey Elementary School, where Henson was filling in as principal for the day. So there are a lot of valid things that staff are concerned about. During directors comments, Bob Jewell of Paris said a vote of no confidence against an administrator hired by the board, just six months after starting, was actually a no confidence vote against the board. The agreement also bars the district and Henson from talking about the situation publicly. All rights reserved. Vicki Morgan, grandmother and guardian of the second child, had addressed the board at a meeting several months ago and spoke again Tuesday night to reiterate that her childs rights were being violated daily. That's what the union representing teachers in the Oxford Hills School District said about Superintendent Monica Henson when they put it to a vote. Henson also claimed that the school did not have a code of conduct in its student handbook. "There's a lot of fear of job termination, there's a lot of feeling like we're being watched, that somebody is just waiting for us to mess up so we can be reprimanded. AS YOU SAID.. Some directors questioned why appointing Bickford permanently should stray from the normal process of posting the position and convening a panel to interview candidates before hiring others. DA won't prosecute Oxford Hills superintendent accused of restraining His motion was seconded and approved by the board. Interviews with the five candidates for superintendent of the Oxford Community Schools will be held this week at three special Board of Education meetings that are open to the public. One parent told the Advertiser Democrat that Clarke resigned after taking concerns to the board about a day when Henson acted as the substitute principal at the school when she had a medical appointment. "We take those accusations very seriously," Jordan added. Monica Henson had been on leave. Oxford Hills school board accepts superintendent's resignation - WMTW They also claimed that the mandatory masking standards are not consistently followed and there is little concern about transmission rates of COVID-19, which have recently spiked. The Oxford Hills Teachers Union held its regular meeting on January 11 where a record number of people attended to participate in the vote. Portland bus stop wins national competition after contested votes thrown out, Easter Egg Roll returns after 2-year COVID-induced hiatus, Residents in one western Maine town look to curb Poland Springs appetite for water, Theres no feeling like it: Last-second layup gives Brewer boys basketball its 1st state championship, Couples recreation business cultivates 'slice of heaven' in Maine highlands, Fine-dining restaurant in northern Maine adds bed and breakfast, 2 teenagers charged after a man in Calais was shot on a walking trail, Maine photographer snaps shots of bobcat thats blind in one eye, Nor'easter could dump a foot of snow on parts of Maine Saturday, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Investigations open into Oxford Hills superintendent accused of Jeni, I am going to have to stop you there, Andrews said. And there's some concern about how chain of command is being portrayed in how it should be used, and then how it is being used. Detroit firefighter charged with dealing drugs in several area cities Last week on Jan. 11, the OHEA held its regular monthly meeting, Jordan told directors. Crime and Public Safety | In all of my years here I have never seen the culture of the district soured in just six months. Andrews told Jordan that she would be allowed to finish her statement if she spoke in broad general strokes without specific references. As for the allegation of inappropriately touching an elementary school student in September, Dr. Henson wrote that the parents of the student saw no issue with the way the situation was handled. Oxford Hills Superintendent under fire at school board meeting - WABI-TV Since you said it was a vote of no confidence and listed her name, we need to follow grievance procedure.. Dozens of people fill the Oxford Hills School District board room Tuesday night in Paris where some expressed serious concerns about Superintendent Monica Hensons leadership in her first six months on the job. SHE WENT ON TO FORCEFULLY DENY EVERY ONE OF THE 27 COMPLAINTS GIVEN LT AS NIGHT. One West Paris resident later told the Advertiser Democrat that Puiia fears for her job. We had multiple eyewitnesses to the incident, and again, to our knowledge, none of them have been asked or questioned about about that. Oxford Hills school board names Heather Manchester as acting superintendent The chief curriculum officer is the unanimous choice to lead while Monica Henson is on paid administrative leave.. The complaints were brought to the school board in a meeting Tuesday.Oxford Hills Education Association president Jen Jordan told WMTW News 8 that the complaints stemmed from a private vote amongst the association's members where 95% of the members said they have no confidence in Dr. Henson's leadership. Use the form below to reset your password. The police presence was allegedly requested by fearful staff and parents. The superintendent of the Oxford Hills school district was accused Tuesday night of creating a culture of fear and intimidation amongst students and teachers alike in her first year on the job. The superintendent of Oxford Hills schools has resigned amid allegations that she assaulted a student last year. She instead outlined the ways in which the school had been failing under Clarkes leadership, claiming that an assistant administrator had ranked Clarke as the worst principal in the district. Oxford Hills Superintendent Monica Henson's resignation was unanimously accepted Monday night after School Administrative District 17s directors gave her a unanimous no confidence vote. Oxford Hills Superintendent placed on paid leave pending - WABI