WESTBROOK – Marc Sawyer, the athletic director for Westbrook schools, will leave his position at the end of the school year, citing “the incestuous culture of the community” and continued boundary issues between parents and administrators.

Sawyer has been the school department’s athletic director since 2012, and has been one of the central figures in a controversy since November stemming from the lifting of suspensions of Westbrook student-athletes and an independent report that followed.

Sawyer grew up in Westbrook and graduated from Westbrook High School in 1991. Sawyer said Tuesday he tried to make a decision based on what he felt was right, and that he doesn’t believe his philosophies are the “right fit” for Westbrook.

“Maybe we don’t share the same value system,” he said. “I’m not begrudging them, but after two years I realized we have different philosophical beliefs.”

Referring to the ongoing controversy about the student code of conduct, Sawyer said that he made “some very difficult decisions with the best of intentions,” and that he needed to be “true to myself.”

He said that in Westbrook, he sees constant problems of parents not supporting the decisions made by school staff and administration.

“The climate and culture issue is an extension of the schools,” he said. “I’d like to know what percentage of parents unequivocally support the staff.”

Sawyer said that parents “will go to whatever length that it takes to make their child feel less pain, rather than holding them accountable.”

Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse said Tuesday that Sawyer gave him a letter of resignation Monday afternoon, and that he was surprised by the decision.

“He made the decision (of) his own volition. I certainly did not ask for it, but it’s something that I believe he’s thought through,” he said. “It’s a very significant decision, but it’s something we didn’t see on the horizon.”

In his resignation letter, Sawyer said, “As a professional, I believe there is always a goal to leave a program in a better place than with which you receive it. Given the incestuous culture of the community, individuals placing their own needs ahead of the overall group, and the inability for many to understand appropriate boundaries, I am not sure I was able to achieve that goal.”

In response to Sawyer’s specific reasons for leaving, Gousse said that “parent advocacy” is no different in Westbrook than in surrounding communities. Gousse said that he is questioned on decisions constantly, and that the position of athletic director is no different.

“Sawyer worked very hard, and I’m confident that he was supported,” he said. “For anybody, even the most seasoned professional in the business, this would have been a challenging year.”

Gousse added that he has a lot of respect for Sawyer, and that it will be difficult to see him go.

“He’s a hard worker, he has a huge heart and is a person of integrity,” he said. “We saw him returning next year, but unfortunately, that’s not to be.”

After investigating a report of a party involving students that occurred in October, Sawyer suspended some two-dozen athletes from their fall sports programs. However, on Nov. 8, Sawyer, along with high school Principal Jon Ross, lifted the suspensions for all the athletes, citing information that skewed their initial decision.

Due to the timing of when the student-athletes were reinstated – the same day as a playoff football game – school administrators were accused of making the decision solely to allow members of the team to compete. However, suspensions were also given, and then lifted, to students participating in soccer and track.

In a subsequent report on the controversy that was requested by Mayor Colleen Hilton, Biddeford-based arbitrator John Alfano concluded that the suspensions were lifted as a result of complaints from at least three parents, who charged that Sawyer’s investigation into the party was inconsistent.

Sawyer said Tuesday that 30 students involved in the party from October “did not deny that they were at the party. Not one of them said they weren’t at the party.”

He added that he feels that the community does not want a director that is so “restrictive. What I’ve found is that I can’t continue to hold this standard that may not fit.”

Following Sawyer’s announcement Monday, several Westbrook coaches agreed that he would be missed.

Christopher Aube, the boys’ basketball coach at Westbrook High School, said Sawyer was “extremely supportive of his coaching staff in an increasingly difficult era to be involved in high school athletics.”

Aube added that Sawyer’s decisions were correct, but not supported.

“Marc is a constant reminder that doing the right thing is seldom the easy choice and is not always popular,” he said. “Westbrook High School uses the word integrity as part of their motto; Mr. Sawyer’s integrity is unblemished.”

Deb Henry, the coach of high school girls lacrosse, said Wednesday that this was Sawyer’s “dream job” from growing up in Westbrook.

“I am saddened by the Westbrook school system, and that he is so unhappy he resigned,” she said. “We can’t keep letting the good ones walk away from Westbrook.”

Geoff Godo, the high school golf coach, added that Sawyer “did a great job in always looking out for what was best for the students here at Westbrook. He worked hard to support the players and coaches alike, and his outgoing personality will be missed.”

John C. L. Morgan, a former boys soccer coach, said that since Sawyer’s first day on the job, “he always tried to hold our student-athletes to a high standard.”

Sawyer said Tuesday that he has no job opportunities lined up, but that he made the decision now in order to give the department the opportunity to fill his role.

“It’s about finding the right fit, a relationship that works for me, and a system that shares the same values,” he said.

Sports reporter Adam Birt also contributed to this story.

Marc Sawyer