Schools chief invokes privacy laws to stay mum on assault; full accountability awaits

OTHER NEWS: State Rep. Holly Eaton's ex-spouse stole campaign signs

BAR HARBOR - The assault of a girl at the high school on Oct. 4 as reported by the Islander was anything but a straight-forward story.

None of the dispatches, either in print, online blog or social media, filled in all the blanks of this multi-layered incident which probably cannot be told in the inverted pyramid style of a news report.

It started as group gaslighting on social media to stir animus toward gender transitioning, and evolved into a debate over whether the local constabulary and school officials exercised sound judgement in a confusing situation where there was clear and present danger to a teenage girl at Mount Desert High School.

On Oct. 7, A Florida-based right-wing troller posted on X.com what he claimed was a video “from a source” showing a male student undergoing gender transition attacking a female student as they disembarked from a school bus at MDI High School on Oct. 4.

It instantly went viral, getting more than 4 million views and 2,700 comments - mostly demonizing transgender persons. A Denver-based organization called Mountain States Legal Foundation even purchased an ad promoting its campaign against transgender rights.

Another video from a slightly different angle was posted by the right-ring Maine Wire blog.

Caught flat-footed, local school and police officials publicly acknowledged the incident on Oct. 8.

Superintendent Mike Zboray stated, “A student fight occurred in front of MDIHS Friday morning. Due to privacy concerns and confidentiality requirements, I cannot legally share more about the incident or anyone involved. However, I assure you that school officials are taking the matter seriously and are handling it in accordance with our policies and procedures, which are available online.”

That set off another round of public comments on the Islander’s Facebook page by mostly area residents questioning Principal Matt Haney’s handling of the assault as he met the bus. As of this writing there were 112 comments.

The administration issued more statements to quash rumors that the bus driver was disciplined and that Haney had urged students to delete videos on their cell phones.

However, it left many questions unanswered, none of which required privacy be compromised.

• How did the attacker with a record of trouble at Ellsworth High School be allowed to attend MDIHS? Zbora did not return a call. But Jessica Stewart, chair of the AOS 91 regional school board, said, “Not speaking to any particular student, I can say that many students from Trenton and towns without a high school have school choice, so they can choose to go to Ellsworth or MDI High School.” But the student loses that choice if he or she has been expelled. Whatever the history in Ellsworth, it was deemed insufficient to warrant expulsion. How big of a problem is the off-loading of incorrigibles from one school to another?

• Where were the cops? One woman claiming to be a parent posted on Facebook that her daughter was on the bus and that the driver called for police support. The new high school resource officer was at another location. Could another patrol officer have responded? Would it have made a difference if a patrol car was present when the bus arrived? On Oct. 2, The Town of Mount Desert joined Bar Harbor in approving a new Memorandum of Understanding to place a police resource officer at the high school and two elementary schools. The MOU gives police intervention powers when there is “real and clear immediate threat to students …”

• Should Principal Haney have physically intervened? Former and current education administrators and law enforcement officers questioned Haney’s approach to only shout demands to stop. “Clearly, he should have gone in,” said one former police officer. There would have been nothing to prevent anybody from going hands on. That's clearly within the bounds of providing necessary force to stop something from happening.” Photos of the victim posted online showed she had facial cuts, swelling and bruises. She also was being checked for a potential concussion.

“It's very challenging, because it's become a huge story,” Stewart said on a call. “I would say for the board our focus is on what's best for children and the children in our school … that's our responsibility, and we'd like to see the focus stay on the best interest of kids, not a national conversation.”

“We are limited in our ability to respond by the law and whatever. But for sure, I can say speaking for myself and for the board, we take school safety and school violence very seriously, and you can look and see that in our harassment and bullying policies. It's definitely a major focus for us in ensuring school are safe.

Zboray told the Islander, “Every student altercation is different, and staff are trained to intervene by utilizing a range of de-escalation strategies from verbal cues to physical restraint (as a last resort, per Maine law).

“Every situation provides an opportunity to learn, for both students and staff, and we are always working to improve how we protect all students and staff and teach tolerance and respect,” he continued. “I trust our staff to follow their training and use their judgment in the best interests of those involved in these difficult situations.”

On the Islander Facebook page, One woman, Maeghan Foss, who identified herself as a parent, wrote, “The fight started on the bus on the Goose Cove Rd but the bus driver was instructed to continue to the high school.

“So here is my question .... Why were the police not called to meet the bus there? My daughter was on the bus and just curled up covering her ears. She already has extreme anxiety and hearing the screaming really shook her up. This is unacceptable and I hope something is done about this. I agree with whomever said it was a boy beating up a girl. That is exactly what it was.”

A Trenton woman wrote, “The bus driver radioed to the HS and requested police presence and principal HANEY SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT THEY WILL HANDLE IT THEMSELVES AND JUST CONTINUE TO THE HS. Just to then immediately do NOTHING WHATSOEVER to handle it or break it up or anything. Principal Haney is a problem. This was completely avoidable had he not denied the victim the right to have police presence waiting there when they got there. Incompetence in every way. If there's some sort of rule that the principal himself isn't allowed to intervene or touch the students to break it up then my question would be why not listen to the bus driver and call in POLICE. He didn't only act cowardly himself here, he denied ANY AND ALL intervention to break that attack up. Disgusting.”

In the fog of an assault which lasted only eight seconds, Haney is the only person who can explain what was going through his mind. And he’s not talking.

Quietside state representative’s very bad week

SOUTHWEST HARBOR - Another Mainer who did not have a good week was State Rep. Holly Eaton, D-15, who was forced to admit last Sunday that her ex-spouse had stolen campaign signs from her competitor the day before.

Eaton represents nine coastal towns, Brooklin, Deer Isle, Eagle Island Township, Frenchboro, Isle au Haut, Marshall Island, Southwest Harbor, Stonington, Swan's Island, Tremont and Vinalhaven.

She is seeking her second term against lobsterman Jason Joyce of Swan’s Island who is running as an independent.

On Facebook, Eaton wrote,

“This is not a post I ever thought I’d be making.

“Many of you have seen the video of my ex-wife stealing Jason Joyce signs from Kyle Jones and Ashlyn Grays home. First and foremost I want it to be understood that I do not condone this behavior! Two years ago when it was largely my signs that were being stolen we issued a joint statement condemning such behavior. That belief is still very much a part of my belief ethic and I’m disgusted and disappointed in this behavior.

“As you all know this is a punishable offense, and I fully support any action that the Jones family or the Jason Joyce for Maine House of Representatives District 15 campaign take.”

Eaton was in a foul mood when I called her Friday to ask about how she would protect Seawall Road, which connects SWH and Tremont, from storm destruction like the ones last winter which forced its closure.

“I will tell you that as a member of the Transportation Committee, I participated in behind-the-scenes conversations with the Department of Transportation to repair Seawall Road,” she said,

Eaton did not attend the public hearing held by the DOT Deputy Commissioner Dale Doughty June 27 when more than 200 Tremont and SWH residents urged the state to take action.

When I reminded her Seawall Road was repaired by local contractors volunteering their time and materials and not the DOT, she got annoyed and said my line of questioning was “an inquisition” and to send my questions by email. She then hung up.

Joyce lost to Eaton in the 2022 election for Maine House of Representatives District 15 2,865 to 2,417.

Joyce said in an interview that Eaton is virtually an unknown outside of her home town of Deer Isle. He said in the last eight years he served as a member of the Swan’s Island select board, Eaton has not attended a single meeting.

“I got involved with the Seawall issue probably two months before it was resolved,” Joyce said, “I started talking to Jesse (Dunbar) the town manager in Tremont, and asked him what was going on, because I could see some some chatter on Facebook.

“It wasn't getting resolved, and friends I have in the area were complaining about it. So I then was able to speak to the Deputy Commissioner (Doughty) at an event in Stonington about my concerns and why the state was not fixing it.”

Joyce said there was a standoff between the DOT, which has the right of way, and the Park Service, which he said was micromanaging the process.

“ I was thankful to see that the local contractor stepped up. DOT should have taken care of it.”

“That, to me, is an example of what I see as a selectman on Swan’s Island, and what I've heard from each of the towns that I've visited in the district. There is no involvement, no reaching out, no attending of select board meetings by our current representative.

“Some of the selectmen didn't even know the name of our representative. Many had never met her, and my biggest criticism is that she's been very neglectful of the towns and Southwest and Tremont.”