A school superintendent accused of improperly restraining a student at an elementary school last year has resigned. And as far as were aware, theres been no investigation on that, and thats very concerning to us. I am extremely angry, Rowe told WMTW News 8. I am beyond frustrated and so overwhelmed that they would even make that claim against her, said Grey teacher Rebekah Arntsen. She termed Boyds reference at the meeting to breaking the law as categorically false and went on to write that Clarke had falsely categorized an incident in the cafeteria. Please note the display name will appear on screen when you participate. Heather was the person that came to everyones mind for that, as well as having the credentials. Oxford Hills Education Association Concerns by sunjournal on Scribd. "The parent did not object to my handling of the incident, communicated with me for the next couple of days, and has filed no complaints with the Board or expressed any further concern since the notification from me," Dr. Henson wrote. She instead outlined the ways in which the school had been failing under Clarkes leadership, claiming that an assistant administrator had ranked Clarke as the worst principal in the district. We had multiple eyewitnesses to the incident, and again, to our knowledge, none of them have been asked or questioned about about that.Other accusations include sharing inappropriate images of alcohol and weapons to district employees, doling out inconsistent discipline to staff, and creating a fearful environment for students with a "bounty" system rewarding students with money for turning in other students for inappropriate social media posts. As for the allegation of inappropriately touching an elementary school student in September, Dr. Henson wrote that the parents of the student saw no issue with the way the situation was handled. The reaction of the childs parents contrasts with Dr. Hensons statement last week defending herself against the list of complaints given to the board against her. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })(); The list also included that employees are concerned with the superintendents use of professional time, of statements she has made to local and national media, and of inappropriate tone and intimidating language expressed in emails to employees. Saatva Mattress Review: Our Pick for the Best Overall Bed of 2023, We Found 12 Cute Planters and Flower Pots That Cost Less Than $25, Here's Where to Watch and Stream Marvel's 'Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' Online. Baumgardner has led a group of Oxford Hills residents to have Chickering reinstated since he was fired as coach and implored board members and the administration to allow him to return for at least the last few games of the year. Published: Apr. PARIS Parents, educators and community members descended on Oxford Hills School District directors meeting Tuesday night to voice serious concerns with Superintendent Monica Hensons leadership in her first six months on the job. Plow truck drivers prepare for Maine's third snowstorm of the week, Maine Wardens searching for missing Greene man. Her statements received pushback from current Grey faculty. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. Henson did not address the September incident during Mondays meeting. Oxford Hills School District directors listen Monday night to Eric Bennett about his. Some directors questioned why appointing Bickford permanently should stray from the normal process of posting the position and convening a panel to interview candidates before hiring others. NORWAY, Maine (WMTW) -The superintendent of the Oxford Hills school district was accused Tuesday night of creating a culture of fear and intimidation amongst students and teachers alike in her first year on the job. Months ago Oxford Superintendent Tim Throne announced his retirement that was due to happen in January. Much of the anger was rooted in the resignation of Agnes Gray Elementary Schools longtime principal , Beth Clarke, late last year. Login. On Jan. 19, directors instructed district Chief Child Services Officer Jan Neureuther to report the incident to DHHS. Dr. Henson's full rebuttal statement can be found here. THEY WILL ALSO PAY HER 5,500 DOLLARS IN HER LEGAL FEES. "There's a lot of fear," Jordan said. The childs parents, Eric Bennett and Ashley Rowe, did not learn the full details of the incident until reading it in the press last week. The complaints were brought to the school board in a meeting Tuesday. 200,000 lose power as snowstorm blankets Detroit region, Catholic priest Joseph 'Father Jack' Baker sentenced for child rape, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. That forum has not yet been scheduled. Monica Henson had been on leave for months before she resigned from Oxford Hills early last week. In her resignation letter, Henson wrote I am proud of the changes I was able to implement and the management changes I made., Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). "THE PARENT DID NOT OBJECT TO MY HANDLING OF THE INCIDENT, COMMUNICATED WITH ME FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS,ND A HAS FILED NO COMPLAINTS WITH THE BOARD OR EXPRESSED ANY FURTH ER CONCERN SINCE THE NOTIFICATION FROM ME." Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Saatva Mattress Review: Our Pick for the Best Overall Bed of 2023, We Found 12 Cute Planters and Flower Pots That Cost Less Than $25, Here's Where to Watch and Stream Marvel's 'Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' Online. Find Us . Tensions erupt at SAD 17 board meeting over no-confidence vote of Please subscribe or login first for digital access. "That is just a statement letting the school board know that the staff who voted don't feel that the leadership of Dr. Henson is effective for our school system," Jen Jordan, president of the Oxford Hills Teachers Union, said. Empowered by their unions stance, Agnes Gray staff who witnessed the incident in September separately filed a report with DHHS on Jan. 20. "And the OHEA has neglected to take advantage of that opportunity and instead try to hijack the public narrative with a collection of falsehoods and vague expressions of 'concern' that is easily disprovable. The biggest concern is that theres an accusation of physical contact and verbal intimidation of students, Jordan said. So there are a lot of valid things that staff are concerned about.. However, when Puiia attempted to address the board she was told by Andrews that specific details could not be shared publicly at that time. The copy of the resignation agreement says they will pay Henson in return for her resignation . If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page. If you are concerned about a child being . "The biggest concern is that there's an accusation of physical contact and verbal intimidation of students," Jordan said. Superintendent Henson told NEWS CENTER Maine she has received a lot of support from parents and staff during this process, and of the people who have reached out to her, only one has been negative. "As for the allegation of inappropriately touching an elementary school student in September, Dr. Henson wrote that the parent's of the student saw no issue with the way the situation was handled. Example video title will go here for this video. You can share 5 more gift articles this month. OVER 90% OF TEACHERS UNION MEMBERS GAVE HER A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN A PRIVATE VOTE, THE RESULTS OF WHICH THEY BROUGHT TO THE DISTRICT'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS LAST NIGHT. Maine Superintendent Accused of Restraining Child Resigns - US News People are feeling afraid. Henson is accused of grabbing a student by the arm and pulling him into an office while she was filling in as principal at Agnes Gray Elementary in September. Oxford Hills superintendent on paid leave following student assault Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. "There's a lot of fear of job termination, there's a lot of feeling like we're being watched, that somebody is just waiting for us to mess up so we can be reprimanded. Oxford Hills Superintendent under fire at school board meeting 5, 2022 at 3:20 AM PDT. 776 talking about this. "Im unaware of any other school system in the state where a teachers union is asked to participate directly in the evaluation of the superintendent of schools," Dr. Henson wrote. "And as far as we're aware, there's been no investigation on that, and that's very concerning to us. At an earlier press conference, Agnes Gray employee Brenda Parent, who had been substitute teaching on the day and witnessed the incident, said she wrote a letter to the board detailing what had happened, but it was ignored. WEST PARIS, Maine An investigation into allegations against the Oxford Hills superintendent has been opened by the Oxford County Sheriffs Office and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Maine Education Association. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat. The Oxford Hills School District has agreed to pay their former superintendent Monica Henson $174,500.The copy of the resignation agreement says they will pay Henson in return for her resignation and promise to file no claims against the district. Oxford Hills teachers cast vote of no confidence for superintendent - WCSH Jordan was followed by Dennis Boyd, grievance chairman for the union. All rights reserved. Letter from Superintendent - August 27, 2021 The teachers union also recently sent a vote of no confidence to the school board. She has a running knowledge of everything that is going on within the district right now.. And there's some concern about how chain of command is being portrayed in how it should be used, and then how it is being used. Oxford Hills superintendent accused of creating culture of fear and intimidation, Two women missing from Topsham area found safe in East Hancock, Weekend snowfall means business at Hermon Mountain Ski Area, Authorities searching for missing Greene man, Last round of snow moves in for today, sunshine returns on Sunday. According to the agreement WMTW obtained, Henson agrees she will cooperate and make herself available should any legal claim be filed against the district.Henson had been on paid leave since January over allegations she pulled an elementary student by their arms in September. Henson responded in writing to the concerns the following day. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. "There's a lot of fear of job termination, there's a lot of feeling like we're being watched, that somebody is just waiting for us to mess up so we can be reprimanded. The superintendent of the Oxford Hills School Department is being investigated by state and county officials after allegations were made that she inappropriately physically restrained a child. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Firefighters used ladders to rescue at least five people from a burning Indianapolis apartment building where others reportedly jumped from third-floor windows to escape the smoke and flames, A mistrial was declared after a jury in southern Arizona was unable to reach a verdict on a murder charge against a man accused of killing a 6-year-old girl, A now-shuttered Wisconsin substance abuse center and its CEO owe the government more than $2 million in a Medicaid fraud case. All this uproar from the Oxford Hills Education Association is puzzling, given that they have made no previous expression of concern to the School Board using the channels that are available to any staff, Henson wrote. Or email them to: d.hertell@msad17.org . Monica Henson, the former Oxford Hills School District superintendent, was filling in as principal at Agnes Gray Elementary and is accused of grabbing a student by the arm and pulling him into an . The crowd included employees and others who had to stand in the hallway. You dont file a grievance if someone is a bad leader, he said. Oxford Hills superintendent accused of creating culture of fear and intimidation 27 complaints were levied against Dr. Monica Henson, including an allegation that she aggressively touched a. Henson, who was hired in July 2021, is under investigation by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Oxford County Sheriffs Office after allegations that she improperly physically restrained a child at Agnes Gray Elementary School in West Paris last September. Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. In cases of bullying, the Superintendent will monitor situations that are not being resolved at the school level and guide the process if necessary. SOUTH PARIS (WGME) - The controversial superintendent of Oxford Hills schools, Monica Henson, has been put on paid administrative leave while allegations of her assaulting a child are investigated. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday interviews will start at 6:30 p.m., at Oxford Middle School. The Oxford Hills Scholarship Foundation was established in 1998 and has benefited from Three donations of $1,000,000 each from Robert and Sandra Bahre. Copyright 2022 WMTW. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Oxford school superintendent interviews this week open to public, Detroit firefighter charged with dealing drugs in several area cities, Hazel Park man ordered to trial in boxcutter attack, West Bloomfield man sentenced to 65-year prison term in Indiana, Jewish Michigan lawmaker says threats are constant, Police: Alleged iPhone thief admits to similar crimes from people advertising on Facebook Marketplace, Photo gallery from the Division 1 competitive cheer finals at Mt. The copy of the resignation agreement says they will pay Henson in return for her resignation and promise to file no claims against the district. THE AGREEMENT STATES THAT THE DISTRICT WILL PAY HENSON 1- HUNDRED - 74 THOUSAND AND 500 DOLLARSN I EXCHANGE FOR THAT. Related Articles Alexa Baumgardner and Tobi Worden spoke in defense of coach and Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School teacher Riley Chickering, both fighting back tears at times as they spoke of their sons pain at losing their mentor with no explanation. Henson said at the time she used a limited restraint technique for a disruptive student. And the OHEA has neglected to take advantage of that opportunity and instead try to hijack the public narrative with a collection of falsehoods and vague expressions of concern that is easily disprovable.. I HAVE A COPY OF THE RESIGNATION AGREEMENT RIGHT HERE.. Oxford Hills school board accepts superintendent's resignation - WMTW On Thursday a meeting will be held to narrow the list of five to two or three finalists. In a statement where she forcefully denied the accusations against her, Dr. Henson asked why the teachers had not gone to the board before Tuesday. They also claimed that the mandatory masking standards are not consistently followed and there is little concern about transmission rates of COVID-19, which have recently spiked. That includes the resignation agreement where the district said it would pay Henson $174,500. She has instituted a number of options I will be glad to share with the board in private session.. AS YOU SAID.. IN I. T. THE OXFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS THEY WILL PAY FORMER SUPERINTENDENT MONICA HENSON .. 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