A teacher at the St. Albans Consolidated School accused of using excessive force on a kindergarten student in April has resigned from her job and will not be in the classroom for the remainder of the school year, according to the district superintendent.
Sharon Deagle submitted her resignation last week, according to Regional School Unit 19 interim Superintendent Ray Freve, about one week after a group of parents at the school invited the media to a local playground to voice their concerns that Deagle was verbally and physically abusing their children.
“I care deeply about my students’ education, however due to recent biased media reports I felt it was in everyone’s best interest to resign,” Deagle said in a statement released through the Maine Education Association. “It’s a shame the media reported rumors before an investigation was completed, making it impossible for me to envision a scenario where I could work in St. Albans. I want to thank the students, parents, and colleagues who have supported me over the last twelve years. My resignation is not an admission that I’ve done anything wrong, however it is an act to help everyone move forward.”
The parents of one boy reported that Deagle had used excessive force in the classroom while breaking up a fight between their son and another kindergarten student, leaving him with a large scratch down his side. The parents, Corey Collins and Abigail Hewins, reported the incident to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office is still investigating the allegation of excessive force, Sheriff Dale Lancaster said Wednesday.
Freve said he accepted a letter of resignation last week that cited personal reasons for her departure from the Newport-based school district. “I accepted the resignation at face value,” he said. “I didn’t probe her on her reasons.”
Deagle’s resignation is effective at the end of the school year, but she will not be returning to the classroom, Freve said. When asked why, Freve said, “She resigned and I assume is taking some leave. She has plenty of leave left.”
Several parents at the school reported earlier this month that Deagle had been suspended after the alleged excessive force incident, but at the time Freve would not confirm the report, citing personnel matters.
He said Wednesday that he met with parents from the St. Albans school in April about a “variety of things” but would not say if any of them were related to Deagle.
“If it was about a particular individual person I can’t really comment. I’ve met with a lot of parents this year,” Freve said.
Corey Collins, who said his son Isaac was scratched by Deagle when she tried to break up a fight between him and another student, said he still plans to pursue charges against the teacher and has retained a lawyer.
“They’re only 6 years old,” Collins said. “My son doesn’t comprehend that she isn’t coming back. His main thing was, ‘Is she going to come back and hurt me?’ I’ve told him, ‘She’s not coming back,’ and he’s had a really good turnaround since there’s been a new teacher in the classroom.”
Under state law, complaints or accusations against certified teachers are not public information, although certificates of dismissal, records of other disciplinary actions taken by a school board, transcripts of public hearings held by school boards, and court records and transcripts not under seal are public records.
Deagle has been certified with the Maine Department of Education since 2003, and her current certification is valid through July 1, according to the Department of Education. The state has never suspended her certification. Freve also said Wednesday that he was not aware of the school board in RSU19 having ever taken disciplinary action against her.
Rob Poindexter, a parent who started an online petition earlier this month asking the district to fire Deagle, said Wednesday he also was relieved to learn she would not be coming back.
“Her behavior was troubling at the outset, and it got worse leading up to the incident with grabbing the boy. That was the tipping point for all of us,” Poindexter said. “We just felt somebody like that shouldn’t be in a classroom full of 6-year-olds if they can’t control themselves.”
He said many parents felt powerless over the situation and so decided to start the petition and take their concerns to the media.
“I’m sure schools get complaints constantly from parents who are upset with teachers, and I don’t think all those complaints necessarily rise to the level of firing a teacher,” Poindexter said. “It should be difficult to terminate a teacher, but at the end of the day I think she realized parents weren’t comfortable with her in there.”
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.