ST. ALBANS, Maine — A St. Albans Consolidated School classroom teacher accused of assaulting a young student earlier this month has tendered her resignation, a Regional School Unit 19 superintendent’s office staff member confirmed Wednesday.
The teacher, who is not being named by the Bangor Daily News because she has not been charged with a crime, submitted a letter of resignation on Friday of last week, effective when the school year ends on July 31. The teacher has been in the Newport-area school district’s employ for 12 years, the staff member said.
The teacher became the focus of an investigation by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office after the department received a complaint on May 5 from the father of a student at St. Albans Consolidated School who said the teacher “used excessive force while dealing with his son.”
The parent told authorities that the teacher grabbed his child, leaving scratch marks on his waist and midsection.
Shortly afterward, some parents in the district began calling for the teacher’s removal, including the parents of another student who wrote a letter to other parents claiming the alleged assault was not an isolated incident.
The letter accused the teacher of “yelling; putting her hands on students; refusing to allow students to use the bathroom without fear of being punished; students missing lunch as a punishment; ridiculing and manipulating students; and many others.”
The teacher released a statement through the Maine Education Assocation on Wednesday:
“I care deeply about my students’ education, however due to recent biased media reports I felt it was in everyone’s best interest to resign. It’s a shame the media reported rumors before an investigation was completed, making it impossible for me to envision a scenario where I could work in St. Albans. I want to thank the students, parents, and colleagues who have supported me over the last twelve years. My resignation is not an admission that I’ve done anything wrong, however it is an act to help everyone move forward.”
Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said earlier that it was his understanding that the teacher at the prekindergarten-through-fourth-grade school was placed on administrative leave.
Interim district Superintendent Raymond Freve has declined to comment on the teacher’s status or the allegations because it is a personnel matter.
A telephone message left for the teacher at her home was not immediately returned late Wednesday afternoon.
BDN writer Nick McCrea contributed to this report.