The Mt. Ararat boys hockey team can return to the ice this winter after the Maine Principals’ Association unanimously approved the program’s reinstatement Thursday morning.
Mt. Ararat’s co-operative team, which included students from Morse and Lisbon, did not complete the 2024-25 season after allegations of hazing and bullying surfaced in January.
The season was briefly paused as Maine School Administrative District 75 hired the Lewiston-based firm Brann & Isaacson to conduct an independent investigation, but the program soon resumed play under a new coaching staff. An incident involving “unsportsmanlike conduct” from adults and players during Mt. Ararat’s senior night game prompted MSAD 75 Superintendent Heidi O’Leary to cancel the final game of the regular season.
According to MPA’s rules, any team that fails to complete a season faces a two-year ban from competition.
O’Leary, principal Chris Hoffman and first-year athletic director Heidi Wright presented the school’s case to the MPA’s Interscholastic Management Committee alongside representatives from Lisbon and Morse. All five committee members who were present voted to approve program reinstatement.
“Last year’s incident served as an opportunity to review policies, create changes, and re-focus our priorities around our philosophy of athletics,” O’Leary wrote in a news release sent Thursday by MSAD 75. “I am incredibly proud of the work that we have done over the last nine months. Although there is more to be done to ensure player safety, build back trust, and refine our protocols — this ruling is proof that we are moving in the right direction.”
When a two-page summary report of the investigation was released in May, it described a pattern of student misconduct that “intended to embarrass or humiliate the target” and violated district policies. At least four students on the hockey team were subjected to hazing that was described as “physical aggression and/or intimidation” and “sexually inappropriate conduct.”
There were no recommendations for discipline or policy changes in the report, but the school district has outlined certain actions that have since been implemented.
There are new policies for locker room supervision, special trainings for all athletic coaches focused on healthy team cultures have been held, a relationship with research group StopHazing has been established, and an Ad Hoc Athletic Advisory committee has been formed.
The district says it has also kept in contact with families who previously participated in the program and anticipate as many as 20 students remain interested in playing.
Whether Mt. Ararat will play the upcoming season as a one-school team or as a co-op has yet to be decided, as no new coaches have been hired. The MPA did approve a possible co-op team hosted by Lewiston High. It is unclear if Lisbon or Morse students will be included as well.
“I am looking forward to starting the school year with a new opportunity for all of our athletes and teams,” Hoffman wrote in the same statement. “Together with Athletic Director Wright, we will work to protect and support our students and bring joy back to the rink, as well as on all of our teams.”
