Andrew Morley, parent of Boothbay Region High School junior Hannah Morley and seventh grader Nicholas Morley, spoke to the CSD School Committee on March 11 about the student protest that took place on February 27 in the gym.

The students were protesting in support of the teachers, who have been working under an expired contact since the beginning of the school year, due to differences in opinion regarding subjects such as benefits and salaries between the teachers association and the school board.

“I can appreciate both sides of this,” Morley said. “I'm not here to talk about your side, or your side. I'm hear to talk about the people caught in the middle.”

Morley spoke about the stress the situation was placing on the students, and the fact that the debate between the school board and teachers has become very public and he feels it has placed the kids in a difficult situation.

“As a parent of a junior who I know takes her education very very seriously, I was really bothered by the fact that my daughter, the night before that sit-in happened, is coming to me looking for me or her mother to call the school and make up some excuse why she doesn't have to be there the next day,” Morley said. “I'm concerned as a parent she finds herself where she really doesn't dare go to school the next day.”

Morley mentioned an email sent around between students the night before, which had a “fairly lengthy” list of teachers who, the email stated, were behind them.

“I'm not saying that wasn't generated by students, I'm not saying that there was any merit to it,” Morley said. “but Hannah and many of her friends who sat in my living room that night were thoroughly concerned about going to class that day if they chose not to be part of that sit-in.”

He also expressed concern over the letter to the editor written by Mr. Mark Gorey praising the students who participated in the sit-in.

“All I ask as a parent is that everybody realize there are people caught in the middle of this. Just try to keep the kids out of the middle of this, that's all I ask,” Morley said.

After the meeting, Gorey responded to Morley's comments.

“I have no knowledge of any members of the BREA working with students,” Gorey said. During the meeting he had talked about the persistent rumor that teachers were involved in getting students to attend the sit-in, and insisted he had no knowledge of this.

“I truly applaud students who showed up for their education and came to class, and those that chose not to go and sit-in. In this country we have a rich tradition of civil disobedience, I teach that in my class, and the students had a choice. I, for one, taught students all day long that chose to show up to class,” Gorey said.

“My intent (in writing the letter) was simply to thank students for their support,” Gorey said. “Not criticize any student who chose differently.”

Gorey asked to respond publicly to Morley's statements during the meeting, but as he had already spoken, Board Chairman Larry Colcord denied the request.