The RSU/MSAD 40 School Board expelled four students and reinstated one student at their meeting on April 15. The specific nature of the five cases is confidential, members of board and Supt. Frank Boynton said.
Neither Boynton nor the board could release the student’s names or comment on why the students were being expelled, or make any comment about the circumstances surrounding the student being reinstated from expulsion.
Speaking generally about reinstating students, Boynton said it’s done on a case-by-case basis, and depends in part on “what the student does on the outside to prepare themselves to come back to school,” Boynton said.
The expulsions follow a rash of bomb threats and other incidents at RSU/MSAD 40 schools.
“The reasons for the expulsions are confidential, but we can’t stop people from drawing a connection between them and the bomb threats,” said RSU/MSAD 40 Board Chair Bonnie Davis-Micue prior to the meeting. The board is not given any details about expulsion hearings before the meeting. “The kids will all know sooner than anyone, and their parents can ask them,” Davis-Micue said.
After the meeting, Davis-Micue was out of town and could not be reached for comment.
On April 16, Vice Chair Danny Jackson reiterated the confidentiality of the expulsion hearings, and said, “It’s always a tough decision to expel students.”
There have been seven expulsions this school year, including the four on April 15, Boynton said. This number is “a little bit high” compared to most years, Boynton said.
“We’re enforcing the rules,” Boynton said. “We’re doing what we have to make sure children are safe.”
