AUGUSTA — An Augusta activist is circulating a petition that calls on the city’s Board of Education to dismiss Cony Middle and High School’s principal because she is also president of the Maine Principals’ Association.

Nicholas Blanchard, an Augusta resident, started the petition a few weeks ago and brought it to the board’s attention at Wednesday night’s meeting.

Blanchard believes the board should hold a vote to dismiss Kim Liscomb as principal because the Maine Principals’ Association she heads supports transgender athletes, which he said is unfair to girls who participate in sports. Blanchard regularly attends Augusta Board of Education meetings and speaks against transgender policies.

Augusta Superintendent Michael Tracy Jr. said the Augusta School Department has not received any petitions requesting the resignations or termination actions against any employee. Blanchard’s petition is posted online at Change.org, as is another petition started by Kyle Black, seeking Liscomb’s dismissal.

“What we are witnessing appears to be national partisan politics manifesting in local government and school affairs,” Tracy told the Kennebec Journal on Thursday.

The debate around Maine transgender students’ participation in high school sports has gained national attention.

At the board’s regular business meeting in March, members voted to revert to the 2020 Title IX policies in a move recommended by state officials after the 2024 Title IX guidelines under the Biden administration were declared unconstitutional. The 2020 policies are in line with the Trump administration, however, Maine schools follow the Maine Human Rights Act, which is stricter than Title IX.

Blanchard voiced his support to the six board members who voted in favor of reverting to the former Title IX policies. He was the only person to speak up at the board meeting against the transgender policies, specifically around transgender students competing in sports, but he was joined by about a dozen people, all wearing red, who did not speak.

He did not get through the entirety of his speech before board Chairperson Martha Witham stopped him when he started directing his comments toward Liscomb.

“Most of you have heard by now that I started a petition that Augusta concerned parents, both Republican and Democrat, are signing. I’m asking if you, the school board members, will put up a vote to have Ms. Kim…” Blanchard said, before Witham stopped him. He continued, “So, as most of you know, someone is president of the Maine Principals’ Association.”

The Augusta School Department does not have a policy that supports a public petition for removal of an administrator.

Jared Bornstein, a spokesperson for the Maine Principals’ Association, said Liscomb has faithfully executed her duties in leading the organization. In her role as MPA president, Liscomb has shown leadership, compassion and commitment, and when her one-year term is up this summer, she will be missed, he said.

Bornstein maintained that the Maine Principals’ Association is following state law. Several efforts to change the Maine Human Rights Act to be in line with the Trump administration are underway in the Legislature.

“Recently, there has been local attention focused on her (Liscomb), which could be related to the Maine Principals’ Association policy on sports participation. If Congress or the state Legislature changes the law, we will adapt our policy accordingly,” Bornstein said.

Other public comments at the meeting praised the Augusta administration for navigating the policies and for giving all students equal opportunities.

Tracy confirmed all administrators in the school district have a good standing with the district and “enjoy the confidence of both their staff and public they serve.”

He said that while he appreciates the feedback regarding the petition, the sentiment behind the petition lacks an understanding of the process.

“We value community voices and concerns, but there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding regarding appropriate channels for policy change,” Tracy said. “For instance, the president of the Maine Principals’ Association serves in a rotating figurehead capacity (with her term ending in two and a half months). While this is certainly a respected position, the MPA president lacks unilateral authority to modify transgender athletic participation policies.”