Lubec residents continue to grapple with the aftermath of the October 8 incident involving a school bus transporting students to Machias Memorial High School and Washington Academy that resulted in the arrest of teacher Deborah Bousquet by Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith. The actual chain of events remains in contention, with stories varying widely.
     Although Bousquet remains on paid administrative leave, her attorney, Jeffrey Davidson, has served Smith with a notice of claim, stating her intent to file a civil lawsuit claiming unspecified damages for "compensatory and punitive actions." The notice is dated October 16. Smith, who is running for reelection in the upcoming November 4 general election, terms the timing of Davidson's notice "political," saying, "He hates me." Davidson, in response to Smith's comment, says the sheriff's call to a daily newspaper "within a few hours of the incident" was the political action, not his filing.
     Bousquet claims, through Davidson's notice to Smith, that the sheriff threw her to the ground in front of the students and handcuffed her. According to the notice, written statements from 12 parents and students support her statement that she did not physically assault Smith, which the sheriff claimed, and that he assaulted her and used excessive force. She says his actions caused her, following her release from jail, to visit the emergency room at Down East Community Hospital, where she was diagnosed with "a sprained neck and sprained left wrist." She had gone to where the bus was parked after receiving a cell phone call from her daughter, who was concerned about her own safety and that of several of her friends.
     "What sort of lawyer files notice without even reading the police report?" asks Smith. According to Davidson, the report has yet to be filed. Smith contends that by filing when he did, Davidson "was using her to get at me." Bousquet faces criminal charges for allegedly assaulting Smith and is free on bail.
     By the time Smith arrived on the scene, according to the information provided by Davidson, "a marine patrol car [was] present and at least one sheriff's office car." Davidson believes that Smith should have let the officers already on the scene deal with matters and not interject himself into the situation. "The sheriff is an administrator, not a patrolman," he says.

Some high school students suspended
     "There hasn't been much going on here," says Tina Wormell, principal of Lubec's elementary school, speaking of repercussions within the school. According to Wormell, at the time of the October 8 incident, only high school students were on the bus, and no younger students witnessed the event. "Some of them may have heard from siblings," she says, "but if they're talking about it, we're not hearing it."
     "The biggest problem is that we're down a teacher right now," Wormell says, pointing out that AOS 77 Superintendent James Underwood has placed Bousquet, who teaches at the school, "on paid administrative leave" for an indefinite period. "We're using subs and moving around some of the ed techs to cover" the teaching activities Bousquet would normally provide. Wormell points out that the entire staff is watching for student questions or concerns, but so far none have surfaced. "We think Debbie should be sent back to work immediately," says Davidson.
     Underwood states that he has completed his investigation of the incident, which included speaking with "25 people, including 20 students. After the investigation and reviewing all my notes I applied appropriate discipline," he says, adding that "all affected students and their parents have been notified." He declines to say how many have been disciplined, or in what manner, citing student confidentiality rules. Whether any have been permanently barred from bus transportation also is not being disclosed. "There were suspensions," Underwood says.
     Concerning how long Bousquet will be on leave, Underwood says that as a personnel matter he is not permitted to comment publicly. Regarding bus driver Alba Briggs, Underwood states, "I have not received a letter of resignation," adding, "I support Alba." He points out that bus drivers "have a great deal of responsibility." He comments, "In any action I take I uphold entirely the safety of our kids."
     Briggs, in a letter he sent to area newspapers, said, "I'm sure that with appropriate care and discipline we will all be able to grow through this experience and come out of it with greater respect and appreciation for each other and for our community."
     A number of residents have suggested that cameras be placed on the buses so that in the case of future outbreaks better information would be available. Underwood, during the October 18 meeting of the Lubec school board, downplayed the usefulness of such video recording, pointing out that preventing future incidents is more important than learning more about them after the fact. "Cameras are reactive," he said, "not prescriptive."