OXFORD, Maine — The superintendent of Maine School Administrative District 17 defended the suspension of 19 Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School students following a bus-loop incident that has drawn sharp criticism from parents who say the situation involved an autistic student being bullied.
In a Feb. 7 email to families, Superintendent Heather Manchester said 19 students were suspended for coming together as what she described as a “disruptive and potentially dangerous group” to respond to a rumored incident of violence near the school’s bus line. School leaders “cannot tolerate acts of student bullying or physical retribution in our schools, no matter the intent,” the email stated.
The district said administrators reviewed school surveillance video, spoke with the alleged assailant and the supposed victim and his family, and completed an investigative report. According to the superintendent’s message, that review concluded there was “no intended violence, bullying, or actual physical harm” connected to the bus-line interaction that had become the subject of rumors.
Manchester noted that state law and student privacy protections limit what details school officials can publicly share.
Parents and students have disputed the district’s findings in social media posts, alleging the incident involved an autistic student who was kicked and that dozens of students were suspended simply for being present or attempting to intervene. Several parents said their children did not strike or threaten anyone but received two-day suspensions for being part of the group. Some also claimed the student accused of initiating the confrontation was not suspended.
In a separate message to the broader school community, Manchester said the district has made “trust a strategic priority” and acknowledged community concerns. She said school leaders must balance due diligence, fair treatment and privacy protections while responding to what she described as “the rush of innuendo and misinformation.”
The superintendent said she has launched a review to better understand why students felt compelled to organize as a group in response to a rumored incident rather than rely on trusted adults and established school practices. Over the coming weeks, the district plans to review its systems and consult with students, teachers, parents and administrators before bringing recommendations to the school board aimed at strengthening trust and improving how the school community responds to real or rumored incidents involving bullying, violence and student safety. The Maine Wire reached out to both the Superintendent and the Principal, for comment, but did not hear back.
*Update to this article, after publication the Maine Wire did receive an update from Superintendent Manchester. Manchester sent a copy of her letter see sent to “OHCHS Families.” Please see a copy of that letter, below.
