Results of an independent report on the Westbrook school department’s handling of discipline following an incident of student drinking showed no wrongdoing by the administration, according to Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse.

The report, completed by Biddeford-based arbitrator John Alfano, has yet to be released to the public, with the school department’s attorney citing confidentiality issues that must be removed prior to release.

The report was discussed at a closed-door Westbrook School Committee session Thursday night.

Gousse said Thursday that the department’s attorney, Patricia Dunn, will look over the 28-page report with Alfano a final time, and that he expects it to be released within the next few days.

“The report found no evidence of misconduct by anyone,” Gousse said. “For anybody who had speculation of malfeasance or undue influence, it’s not there, according to our committee chairman (Jim Violette).”

Violette could not be reached for comment Friday morning.

Gousse added that the report, commissioned to review the athletic department’s exisiting code of conduct, will show that the policy, “as written, is virtually unenforceable. There needs to be definitive conversations with the community, with parents, students and officials, in reviewing policy, to do what is best for students,” he said.

A clause within the policy, known as “knowingly present,” is seen as the focus of the discussion. In November, Westbrook High School Principal Jon Ross said the policy states that if students are “knowingly present” at a party with alcohol or drugs, they need to leave within a reasonable amount of time. He said such parties, which occur off school property and not during school hours, only add to the speculative nature of the situation.

The independent review by Alfano resulted from a request by Mayor Colleen Hilton concerning the lifting of suspensions of student athletes after the alleged incident of student drinking. In a letter to the school department in November, Hilton raised questions of whether school officials interfered in the disciplinary process.

After investigating a report of a party involving students that occurred the weekend before Halloween, Westbrook Athletic Director Marc Sawyer suspended roughly two dozen athletes from their fall sports programs. However, on Nov. 8, after receiving information that skewed the initial decision, Sawyer, along with high Ross, lifted the suspensions for all the athletes.

Due to the timing of when the student athletes were reinstated – the same day as a Westbrook High School playoff football game – school administrators were accused of making the decision solely to allow members of the team to compete. However, suspensions were also given, and then lifted, to students participating in soccer and track.

Copy the Story Link