JAY — Public concern and internal division were on full display at the Regional School Unit 73 board of directors meeting July 31 as a community member condemned a controversial vote taken in June, and a director announced his resignation, citing health concerns.

Linda Dean of Livermore delivered a pointed public comment criticizing the June 26 decision by the board, which represents Livermore, Livermore Falls and Jay, to “recognize only two sexes.”

Later at the same meeting, Director Elaine Fitzgerald read a letter of resignation from Director Brian Riley of Jay, who cited health and board behavior as a reason for stepping down.

“When I was elected to the board of directors last year, I was hopeful that I would get some experience in local issues and support the school system that supported me,” Riley wrote. “However due to changes in my health and recent actions by the board that I feel to be unnecessary and reckless, I must resign from the board effective immediately.”

He continued, “Fishing for a legal opinion that matches one’s personal beliefs is a good way to waste taxpayer money and erode the trust that exists between faculty and the board. Seeing board members leave hostile comments on official district social media pages has been deeply embarrassing.”

Dean decried the vote.

“That vote was taken from clear pleas from students, community members, the superintendent and the district’s law firm to follow Maine state law until and unless that law is changed,” Dean said. “Instead the board chose to follow recommendations from an outside political group, Maine People’s Rights in Education. This group is not from our community and didn’t even originate in our state. It’s part of a well-funded effort to push extreme ideology onto school boards and now RSU 73.”

Dean argued that there had been “no outreach” or testimony from students or families directly impacted, calling the decision fear-driven and harmful.

“Transgender girls are girls,” she said. “We don’t hear the same concern when transgender girls are forced into boys’ locker rooms where they may feel unsafe or humiliated. Aren’t they worthy of our protection too?”

She noted, “We don’t even have a transgender student playing sports in our school system. To my knowledge, there’s one in the entire state. So what exactly is the problem being solved here?”

Dean concluded by urging the board to “be led by values of our community, the laws of our state, the needs of our students, and not by outside influence.”

The meeting also included the resignation of Tonnie Condon, a special education teacher at Spruce Mountain Middle School in Jay.