BATH

For this year at least, it appears that Regional School Unit 1 will remain without a health educator in its middle schools.

The RSU board of directors indicated on Monday night that it needs more facts and figures prior to considering such a position. Though the position is mandated by the state, funding from Augusta was dropped two years ago. Bath Middle School has not offered health education since then, and Woolwich Central School lost its volunteer health educator at the end of the last school year.

Health education is offered at Morse High School.

Concerned at the level of suicide ideation, depression, substance abuse and sexual activity of its middle school students, a group collected 150 signatures on a petition to hire a health educator. Charlie Bingham, a Morse teacher from Woolwich and father of two middle school students, presented the signatures to the board.

“There is no health care grade on their report cards and there is a state mandate on this,” Bingham said. “Please accept these 150 signatures.”

Linda Levesque, a teacher/coach in Bath since 1979, and Bath parent Heidi Tucker supported Bingham with brief comments to the board.

“When I saw health education on the agenda,” Levesque said, “I felt the need to come. RSU 1 had a chance to add a health teacher to the middle schools a year ago when a home economics position was cut. That chance is on the agenda again today.”

Tucker, who works in the health care field, said that substance abuse prevention and suicide prevention should be priorities.

Vice chairwoman Julie Rice said the matter should be considered on next year’s budget.

“We need to do it right and look at the curriculum and then sell it to the public,” board member Alan Walton said.

Bingham has statistics from the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey showing that Bath Middle School is above the state average in suicide ideation, depression, alcohol use, marijuana use and sexual activity. Alcohol use at the school is nearly double the state average, the statistics show.

Harvey endorsed

Also on the agenda, the board endorsed Judith Harvey as assistant superintendent by unanimous vote.

“I’m thrilled, actually, to be in a position that I love, which is working around teachers and administration around curriculum,” Harvey said prior to the meeting.

Most recently, Harvey was an interim superintendent at School Union 69 in Hope. She was superintendent for seven years in the former SAD 50 of Thomaston.

Chairman Tim Harkins noted that two positions, those of Rice and Chet Garrison, are open in this November’s elections.

“We encourage them both to run again, and we also encourage more participation from the public,” Harkins said.