FARMINGTON — Thursday afternoon, a notification from Mt. Blue Regional School District was sent with a message from Superintendent Christian Elkington. In this message, Elkington noted it has been, “a challenging week for many members of our community.”
Within the correspondence from Elkington and the district was a link to a letter. “As part of this communication, I am sharing the attached letter from Mt. Blue Middle School Principal James Black,”the email from Elkington stated.
In the letter, addressed to the Superintendent, School Board Members, and the RSU 9 community, Black responds to the incident that went viral and has caused reaction throughout the district and beyond.
The public backlash and social media firestorm arose from a photo that surfaced online of Mt Blue Middle School Principal James Black. In the photo, Black is wearing a costume of tactical gear and a patch reading “POLICE ICE” and a hat with the word “ICE.”
As was reported by the Sun Journal, the photo went viral on social media. The photo, according to a video released by Black’s family members, was taken at a private family party.
In a statement on Monday, the School District said it was “aware of a situation from this past weekend involving a school employee.” The statement went on to read that the district is, “responding to this situation in a manner consistent with our internal practices and procedures. We are also complying with our legal obligation to maintain the confidentiality of our employees. We will not be making further public comments at this time.”
The email containing the letter from Black, sent out just after 3pm this afternoon, was the first time the district had specifically and publicly addressed this issue since the statement the district made on Monday. The Board of Directors held an Emergency Board Meeting on Wednesday, March 5th, with the sole agenda item. That item was listed on the agenda as “Executive Session pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A. § 405(6)(E) – For Legal Counsel update on employee issue.” Superintendent Christian Elkington confirmed that the meeting was adjourned after the Executive Session, and no action was taken by the board.
The next regularly scheduled RSU 9 Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18th and can be seen on the livestream provided by MBTV via this link – https://boxcast.tv/channel/unvoa3ijkfnyp9oufole
No agenda for the meeting has been released as they are typically provided the Friday before the meeting and only required to be presented 48 hours prior.
Typically, public comment takes place toward the beginning of RSU 9 Board of Director meetings. Those who wish to speak during public comment are asked to sign-up on a sign-up sheet as they enter prior to the start of the meeting and comments for individuals are limited to a maximum of two minutes.
The rules for public comment can be found on the district website. In section B, under BEDH: Public Participation at Board Meetings.
