“The parents’ behavior diminished any positive

effects that the policy may have to teach their

children respect, civility, responsibility and consequences for their decisions and behavior.”

– Arbitrator John Alfano

WESTBROOK – Westbrook parents, administrators and school board members come under harsh criticism in a much-anticipated report on the handling of a student drinking incident released Monday by Biddeford-based arbitrator John Alfano.

Alfano, who was hired in November to investigate the Westbrook School Department’s handling of student discipline related to drinking, also calls for the community as a whole to take a hard look at the high school’s student-conduct policy.

Titled “Evaluation of the Matter Involving the Suspensions and Revoking the Suspensions of Students by the Westbrook School Department Administration,” the report cost roughly $7,500 and was paid for by the school department, and will require School Committee approval.

The issues will be aired publicly in a series of forums, starting Thursday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m., in the Westbrook High School auditorium.

Alfano said the policy is “nearly impossible to enforce” due to a clause known as “knowingly present.” He said enforcement also suffers from a lack of support from the school department because of pressure from parents and others outside the department.

“There is little support within the school department to enforce the policy because, when it matters, parents, administrators and board members don’t have the fortitude to stand behind their decisions,” Alfano said in the report.

Alfano also detailed the behavior of some parents, including secretly recording an appeal meeting, swearing at administrators and “obscuring the truth.”

“The parents’ behavior diminished any positive effects that the policy may have to teach their children respect, civility, responsibility and consequences for their decisions and behavior,” he said.

The 26-page report outlines Alfano’s investigation, which was conducted between Nov. 25 and Jan. 19, and was drawn from interviews with school administrators, teachers, parents and School Committee members.

In the introduction, Alfano writes, “This report may be disappointing for those of you who want people blamed and those who want complete vindication … Nor is there any conclusive evidence that places blame on individuals or incidents.”

Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse said Monday that he believes the crux of the report is that the administration is not guilty of misconduct, and will now look at ways to possibly change district policy.

“Were there mistakes made? Absolutely,” he said. “We’ll embrace that as an opportunity to look within and get better.”

Alfano’s report 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, Sawyer, along with high school principal Jon Ross, lifted the suspensions for all the athletes, citing information that skewed their initial decision.

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.

Alfano’s report concludes that the suspensions were lifted as a result of complaints from at least three parents, who charged that Sawyer’s investigation into the party was inconsistent.

The report states that Sawyer was also accused of making a deal with a student involved in the girls’ soccer program, that she could attend a soccer-related event if she provided him with more names of students who attended the party.

According to Alfano, Sawyer maintains this is false, and that he stands by his original suspension decisions, but the decision to allow the individual, who admitted to attending the party in October, to attend the soccer event proved to be enough for administrators to overturn all the suspensions.

“Ross and Sawyer were in disagreement over Sawyer’s decision to permit one of the soccer girls to attend [a] banquet even though she had gone to the party,” Alfano wrote. “Sawyer said that he did so, because she had gone to bring prescription medication to her sister who was attending the party. This decision became the reason (or excuse) for the withdrawal of all the suspensions, which permitted students to play in the football game that night.”

Alfano also said that the nature of Sawyer’s role, to investigate who attended a party that occurred off campus, is made more difficult due to how the code of conduct policy is written.

“The intent of the policy is not zero tolerance, which would result in suspensions for merely having been at the party,” Alfano wrote. “Sawyer believed, maybe naively, that by attempting to enforce the policy, he was performing a service that all parents accepted.”

Sawyer said Tuesday that he tried to look at the report as a whole, and not get “caught up in the line-by-line” details, but that he was surprised by some comments, including being referred to as “nai?ve.”

“I knew he (Alfano) would share the facts, but I didn’t know he would also share some judgments and opinions,” he said.

Ross said Tuesday that while he doesn’t disagree with any details within the report, he cautions the Westbrook community to avoid reading single lines of the report, and to instead read the entire report.

“Anyone who is interested should read the entire thing,” he said. “From the very first line, to the very last line, because it tells a story.”

However, Ross said that he “owns the decision” that was made in November, but feels that the process became “muddy” from an unclear policy.

“The policy isn’t clear, it got muddy, it got wound up, and Westbrook High School owns that piece.”

Ross added that the high school has had other suspensions occur since November, which have been upheld. Speaking of the circumstance of involving the Westbrook football game, he said “the timing was the kicker on this one. We’ve had other suspensions and moved on since then.”

In the report, Alfano also outlines that the situation was complicated further by the involvement of a school board member who is also actively involved in school volunteer organizations.

He said that the committee member’s child, who was one of the students initially suspended, also appealed Sawyer’s decision.

“Perhaps the board member needs to choose between the school board and volunteer activities, but engaging in both is not helpful to the board member, the school board, or WHS,” Alfano said.

Alfano added that the appeal of the child of the unnamed board member “had the appearance of special treatment,” due to Gousse being present in the adjoining office during the appeal interview.

Gousse said on Tuesday that he was asked by Ross to be nearby in case he required “procedural advice,” but that was the sole reason for his presence in the school.

“His appearance is problematic since he indicated that he was keeping his distance from the investigations, suspensions and appeals at all levels,” Alfano wrote.

Gousse said that the department has already begun talks on policies within the department and School Committee, with a workshop, prior to the release of the report, on roles and responsibilities. He said that there would be recommendations coming forward regarding school booster groups.

“One of these is that no elected official will be allowed to be officers of booster groups,” he said. “It just sets up a dynamic that probably isn’t good.”

School Committee member Suzanne Joyce, who is the president of Westbrook’s football boosters and vice president of the baseball boosters, said Wednesday that, “in light of the recent events, I can see that holding an executive position on boosters while being on the school board can become a conflict.” She added that she believes they should still be able to be involved in boosters, however, because involvement in the school is important.

Alfano concluded the report by calling for a series of community forums where “members of the community may come together to express their suggestions for changing the policy (and) methods of enforcing it.” He added that forums “should not be held at school board meetings or by the school board.”

Gousse said this week that he would like the department and the Westbrook community to focus on the recommendations made by Alfano.

“There are aspects of it (the report) that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I accept it for what it is,” he said. “The (report’s) recommendations are a roadmap to move forward.”

On Tuesday, school officials were looking at Nicole Manganelli, a representative of the Unity Project, a nonprofit, school-based bias and harassment prevention program focused on Maine middle and high schools, to facilitate the discussion. Manganelli has been directly involved in discussions on bullying, and “climate and culture” within the school.

Veronica Bates, a school committee member and chairwoman of the department’s policy committee, who has been tasked with upcoming discussions on the code of conduct, said Tuesday that she wants the community to know that there will be ample opportunity to be heard over the issue.

“I don’t want the community to think this is a one-shot deal,” she said.

Gousse and Bates agreed that, while the forum will look to answer parent questions and comments, there has to be a respectful atmosphere in order for a constructive conversation to take place.

“The focus of these forums will be to look at the related policies, evaluate community input and decide what should be recommended for change,” he said.

Gousse expressed concern this week about the reactions in the community to the controversy. He added that his home was vandalized last week, and believes that it may have been connected.

“It’s not about raking people over the coals,” Bates said. “This is about moving forward and making adjustments so that it doesn’t happen again.”

A CLOSER LOOK

Westbrook parents and students are invited to the first of a series of public forums focused on the athletic code of conduct policy, Thursday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m., in the Westbrook High School auditorium.