CALAIS, Maine — A disciplinary matter involving members of the Calais High School girls basketball team and its aftermath have left many community members disappointed and may have prompted the superintendent of schools to tender his resignation.
Robert F. Moholland, a native of the area who was hired to the superintendent’s post just last April, declined comment Friday on why he has opted to step down from that job at the end of the school year, according to his administrative assistant, Faye Donovan.
The letter Moholland submitted to the Calais School Committee at its Jan. 20 meeting consisted of the following:
“This letter is to inform you that I will be resigning my position as superintendent of schools effective 1 July, 2015. Due to personal reasons, my wife and I have decided that it would be in the best interest of our family to resign. I will continue to fulfill the position as director of St. Croix Regional Technical Center for the remainder of my contract. Thank you for allowing me to serve as the superintendent.”
That resignation came just six days after the school committee held an emergency meeting on Jan. 14 and voted to reduce the disciplinary measures administered by Moholland in concert with Calais High School principal Matt Clark, athletic coordinator Randy Morrison and girls varsity basketball coach Dana Redding after their investigation of an incident involving the team during its trip to Houlton for a Jan. 10 game, which Houlton won 65-44.
At least one player originally was reported to have been dismissed from the squad — which won the 2014 Class C state championship and is the two-time defending Eastern C titlist — while a second player was suspended for a shorter period of game and practice time. No member of the Houlton team was involved in the incident, according to Morrison.
The names of the Calais players involved in the incident were not released.
“There was an incident that took place, that’s the best way to describe it,” said Clark. “Some of our team members were involved, and the superintendent and I felt it warranted an investigation, so we investigated the incident and a couple of players were disciplined.
“Like with most schools, there’s an appeals process, and one of the decisions was appealed to the school committee, and the school committee felt that they needed to overturn the decision, and they have every right to do that as a school committee. That’s their prerogative,” he said.
“Families have every right to appeal decisions by administrations,” Clark added, “and school boards have every right to take on the appeal and overturn it if they see fit.”
Bob Greenlaw, chairman of the Calais school committee, declined to speak Friday afternoon about that board’s decision to alter the original penalties assessed.
“I can’t comment any further on that,” he said.
But during the Jan. 20 meeting, which included a significant public turnout related to the matter, Greenlaw acknowledged he had received considerable feedback about the board’s action six days earlier.
“I had to buy a new battery for my phone,” he said, according to the Jan. 23 Quoddy Tides.
The Eastport newspaper also reported Greenlaw saying as the public comment section of the Jan. 20 meeting ended, “None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes. Everybody on here has the best interests of the school at heart.”
Yet many community members are left dissatisfied with the committee’s decision and saddened by the pending loss of Moholland as the city’s school superintendent.
“Bob’s a good man, and people are disappointed with the way this worked out,” said Jeff Demmons of Calais.
“A lot of people think the school board made a hasty decision,” he added.
The players who were disciplined are now back on the team, which is 11-2 and ranked fifth in Eastern Maine Class C.
Redding declined to discuss specifics of the case or how the resulting discipline was applied.
“I think at this time it’s best not to say too much,” said the Blue Devils’ coach. “Maybe at the end of the season.”
Redding praised his team for its effort on the court during the controversy.
“We’ve played three games since it happened without two starters and we’ve won all three,” he said. “The younger kids are pulling together and we’re working as a team, and that’s what it’s all about.”
