HOULTON, Maine — Nearly 75 Houlton Middle High School students walked out of classes on Wednesday morning to protest what they call a pervasive culture of sexual harassment, assault and bullying at the school.
The students gathered outside the middle school entrance on the concrete near the basketball hoop shortly after 10 a.m. Five or six parents joined the students in support of the effort.
During the walkout, female and male students carried signs and chanted “No Means No.” About four male students yelled “No Means Yes.”
A group of students organized the walkout to draw attention to behaviors they said make them feel unsafe while in school. It was sparked in part by the recent release of a cache of photos of mostly girls from the school that was initially posted to a Google photo bank and then shared on social media.
Houlton police investigated and found there was no evidence of a threat posed by the posting. School officials are continuing to investigate its effect on the student learning environment.
There are about 283 students in the middle school and 340 in the high school. The Houlton School District serves the Aroostook County towns of Houlton, Hammond, Littleton and Monticello.
Several members of the Houlton Police Department, including Chief Tim DeLuca, attended the walkout to keep the students safe, principal DeWayne Morse said.
The recent photo post is only part of the problem, said Ollie Kinney, a freshman at the high school who is part of the Houlton Middle High School Walkout Organizing Committee.
“There are so many cases of student on student harassment and even when reported it just gets swept under the rug and no one does anything about it,” Kinney said.
More than 20 female students shared their experiences of bullying and sexual harassment in school. Six students said that when they reported their experiences to David Shaker, the student success coordinator, he asked them, “What did you do to provoke it?”
When asked about the students’ accusations, Shaker said that he had no comment.
Joe Fagnant, the RSU 29 superintendent, denied Friday that Shaker was asked to comment on the students’ accusations.
“The district does not believe any questions about student accusations were asked of any administration at the event, nor are administrators allowed to reply and make comments regarding students as per RSU 29 policies,” Fagnant said. “RSU 29 is not able to comment regarding student statements or any student information while they are wrapping up current Title IX investigations.”
“Nothing gets done,” said parent April Michaud, who was at the walkout to support her daughter, who she said gets bullied at school.
School principal Morse mingled with the students during the walkout.
“The kids had something to say and they wanted to be heard. And they were heard, and I am very proud of how they acted,” Morse said.
The students are planning to bring their concerns about the continuing bullying and sexual harassment to the school board during its Oct. 7 meeting.
This story was updated to include a comment from Joe Fagnant, to specify that six students reported their experiences with David Shaker, and to remove references to staff attendance at the walkout.
