April 17th, 2015 by WCBC Radio
The Allegany County Teacher's Association is upset with comments made to WCBC by school board member Wayne Foote. In our interview, Foote said he believed that since many in the Frostburg community seemed to know about the activities of convicted former teacher Bart Alan Mazer with regard to having inappropriate relationships with students, others within the school also had to know.
We've reached out to ACTA Uniserv Director Evan West, who declined a request to be interviewed on WCBC's Dave Norman Program, and said he would rather let the following statement and letter stand as the position of the organization.
Response to Wayne Foote's Comments on WCBC
Needless to say, ACTA leaders and staff are appalled by Mr. Foote's comments and are investigating further possible actions.
ACTA has since been contacted by other members of the elected Board to assure us that Mr. Foote was speaking for himself and not the elected Board at large. ACTA will continue to communicate with the elected Board about this situation and will inform members of further actions and reactions as they occur.
The text of that letter and email is below:
Mr. Wayne Foote
Allegany County Board of Education 108 Washington Street
PO Box 1724
Cumberland, Maryland 21502
April 14, 2015
Mr. Foote:
It has been brought to my attention that you made comments relative to teachers at Mtn. Ridge and what, in your opinion, they may have known or not known about the recent incidents there. I have since listened to those comments and feel compelled to tell you that I find them offensive and uninformed. As the ACTA UniServ Director, I represent the people your comments were directed toward and I find your speculation that teachers in that building did not perform what would be a legal requirement of their jobs to be baseless. There is simply no way you can or should know if or when any incidents were reported.
It is highly questionable and deeply troubling that you would use your position as an elected Board member, sworn to act in the best interests of the system, to unfairly drag the reputations of the teachers at Mtn. Ridge through the mud. I would hope that the comments you made were made in haste and without forethought and that it was not your intention to impugn the character of so many hard working people without truly knowing what they did and did not do.
Sincerely,
Evan E. West, ACTA UniServ Director
Cc: Mr. Nicholas Hadley
Dr. Edward Root
Ms. Sara Beth James
Mrs. Laurie Marchini
Dr. David Cox