RSU 21 School Board under fire: Teachers 'hurting' after offensive Facebook post

KENNEBUNK, Maine — It’s hard to imagine that this was the kind of Teacher Appreciation Week that educators in RSU 21 had hoped for when they reported to school on Monday morning.

During an emergency meeting on Friday, teachers and residents told the RSU 21 School Board that the district lacks leadership and that its administration under Superintendent Teri Cooper is one in which educators feel disrespected, ignored, and afraid to speak up.

Rachel McCarthy, who is in her 18th year of teaching in RSU 21, told Cooper and board members that she and her colleagues do not feel supported by them.

“We are hurting,” McCarthy said, holding back tears.

The emergency meeting at Kennebunk Elementary School capped a week in which the RSU 21 communities of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel reeled after Chair Erin Nadeau went on social media and called a group of teachers “cowards” and made a reference to the Ku Klux Klan.

Nadeau made her remark after the annual district budget meeting on Monday. In a show of solidarity, many teachers wore red to the meeting and applauded when voters who spoke questioned the administration’s fiscal priorities and approaches to other matters.

Frustrated by how the meeting went, Nadeau wrote a comment on Facebook in which she said the group behaved as though they were at a “rally,” one at which “instead of sheets, they wore red.”

Previous story: Ryan McQueen quits RSU 21 School Board after 'hateful' social media posts spark complaints

Nadeau later amended her remark after considering it “too strong,” but the damage had been done. Screenshots of her remark were taken and circulated on social media.

Nadeau resigned on Wednesday in a letter of apology that she addressed to Cooper, her colleagues on the School Board, and her fellow residents in Arundel. She said her comment was intended to be private, and “not for public consumption.”

Nadeau is the second School Board member to resign during the past two years after making a controversial remark on social media. In March of 2023, Ryan McQueen, also of Arundel, stepped down after some of his race-related posts on social media prompted complaints from the public and a denouncement from the district and school board.

Teachers, parents speak out after offensive Facebook post

Nadeau’s comment did not only offend teachers, as evidenced by others who spoke at the emergency meeting. Beth Fossett, a 1997 graduate of Kennebunk High School, told board members that Nadeau’s use of the words “cowards” and “white sheets” gave her a “tough night of sleep.”

“It felt like someone died,” Fossett said, describing her sense that something in the community had been lost.

Another resident, Melissa McCue-McGrath, said Nadeau’s remark resulted in her having to explain to her 11-year-old daughter what the Ku Klux Klan is. She said her daughter had wanted to dress in red to support her teachers.

“We are a ship without a captain right now,” McCue-McGrath told the board. “We are sailing without a compass. Our community is hurting.”

Another resident, Bob Domini, spoke at the podium and made his recommendation for ending the strife in the district. He called on Cooper and all School Board members to resign that evening.

“That might not really be a bad idea,” Domini said. “I know it sounds a little outrageous, but I think you have to consider that you’ve arrived at the point where you cannot effectively run the institution ... I find it all to be an embarrassment. I think you all ought to leave.”

School Board issues statement over 'egregious' comment by ex-chair

Complying with the rules in place, School Board members did not respond to anyone’s comments, nor did they offer their opinions after the public comment portion of the meeting ended. Instead, they went into an executive session and emerged two hours later with a statement they had crafted.

Acting Chair Gayle Spofford read aloud the statement, which started with the board accepting Nadeau’s resignation.

“We want to communicate, clearly and emphatically, that the views expressed by the former chair on social media earlier this week did not represent the views of the board,” Spofford said.

Spofford said Nadeau had made an “egregious” comment and used words that were “deeply hurtful to our community and, specifically, to our teachers, whom we greatly respect.”

“We are dedicated to restoring trust between our board and the community,” Spofford continued. “What unites us is a shared commitment to the students, teachers and staff of RSU 21.”

On Thursday, Cooper had made her own statement and posted it on the district’s website. Cooper called Nadeau’s remark “unfortunate” and “regrettable,” particularly given that it was made during the nation’s annual Teacher’s Appreciation Week.

"We are currently in a period of heightened emotions, and there will undoubtedly be passionate discourse,” Cooper said. “However, it is crucial that we maintain a respectful and civil dialogue throughout these discussions."

While Cooper and the board restricted their comments to Nadeau’s remark, one teacher who spoke at the meeting on Friday asserted that the former chair is not the only one who has said hurtful things to local educators.

Ellen Jardine, a teacher in the district, said that one of her colleagues had told her that she had been called a racist by a board member. Jardine did not name the board member but noted that it was not Nadeau.

“This is not an individual incident,” Jardine said, referring to Nadeau’s remark. “This is not unique to an individual person. This seems to be a theme. This seems to be something that is culturally accepted as the explanation for feelings of criticism.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: RSU 21 School Board under fire: Teachers 'hurting,' feel ignored