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ACTA Blasts Foote Statements To WCBC

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

As many are already aware, ACPS Board Member Wayne Foote made some ill-advised and irresponsible comments regarding what the teaching staff at Mtn. Ridge did or did not know or do with respect to recent situations there on WCBC Radio on April 14th.  ACTA leadership and staff were made aware of those comments that morning and issued a response in the form of an email and letter to Mr. Foote which was in turn copied to the rest of the elected Board.  

 

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

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