A Topsham teacher at Mt. Ararat High School and Middle School is no longer a school employee after the Portland Police Department began an investigation into alleged misconduct at the start of the month. The school didn’t comment on the situation until Monday.
“To be very clear, as of today, this person no longer works for the district. They have not been charged with a crime, and we are told the police investigation is ongoing. After we were notified, the person was immediately placed on administrative leave, and they have not returned to campus,” said Maine School Administrative District (MSAD) 75 Superintendent Heidi O’Leary.
O’Leary issued both a video and a written statement on the incident, though neither one provided any details on the nature of the investigation, and under state law, the district cannot reveal the name of the teacher involved.
The Portland Police Department informed the school of its investigation on May 2, and according to O’Leary, the teacher was immediately placed on administrative leave, suggesting that he was still working at the school at the start of the month.
O’Leary clarified that he no longer works for the school, suggesting that he either was fired or quit while on leave.
No charges have been filed against the teacher, and he has not been arrested, though the investigation remains ongoing. The school does not believe that there is any ongoing risk to the students, but it has provided a variety of counseling and mental health resources to students disturbed by the situation.
The Maine Wire received information from a parental rights activist, who believes that the employee under investigation was a former art teacher and that he was allegedly in a relationship with a 10th-grade student.
Following the publication of the video, the school district scrubbed two webpages from their public websites, a staff directory and a page listing the advisors to student clubs.
The only difference on the new version of student club website is the removal of the name of art teacher Nathan Valentine.
