The investigation into hazing allegations involving the Brunswick football team in 2021 took about three weeks before findings were released.

Last fall’s hazing investigation into players on the Lisbon football team also wrapped up in less than a month.

But the ongoing probe of the Mt. Ararat boys hockey team that was launched in early January has proceeded at a much more deliberate pace, frustrating some members of the community.

Twice in the last week when asked by a reporter, School Administrative District 75 Superintendent Heidi O’Leary has not provided a specific timeline for when a final investigative report might be completed and released.

“I do not have anything to report yet. I am hoping soon,” O’Leary said in an email Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a school district official sent a letter this week to former head coach A.J. Kavanaugh to inform him that Title IX sexual harassment allegations against him have been dismissed. That letter, which was obtained by the Press Herald, offers the first confirmation that Kavanaugh had been a subject of the investigation and raises new questions about how sexual harassment allegations have played into the bullying probe.

The rationale behind dropping the Title IX investigation against Kavanaugh, according to the letter, is because he is no longer employed by the district. He submitted his resignation last week.

Kavanaugh has not responded to several messages over the last month. His attorney, Tim Bryant, who was copied on the letter, did not return a call for comment this week.

Jim Trusiani, a Topsham resident, Mt. Ararat High School graduate and supporter of the co-op hockey team that includes players from the Lisbon and Morse high schools, believes the investigation has been mishandled.

“They’re trying to make it look like they had something before they spent eight weeks and all this money,” he said. “(O’Leary) jumped the gun … so she’s trying to make sure that the report will justify why she did it. And what she wants this to do now is go away.”

Although the letter informed Kavanaugh he is no longer being investigated under Title IX, it says that the district “will be addressing the other allegations under school district policies.”

“The school district will be engaging an outside third-party to review the evidence and determine if you have violated any other school policies,” the letter states.

The team’s season was put on pause in January after the school district began investigating a report of “potential bullying/harassment” by a player. The school district hired a Lewiston law firm, Brann & Isaacson, to conduct that investigation.

Two senior players, Kavanaugh and assistant coach Todd Ridlon were suspended, although O’Leary has repeatedly emphasized that the suspensions were not necessarily indications of guilt.

Play resumed after one postponed game when the school board approved Erik Baker, superintendent O’Leary’s brother, as interim head coach. Many parents lobbied school officials and board members to reinstate Kavanaugh, but that never happened.

With a handful of games remaining in the season, one senior’s suspension was lifted while the other’s was not. O’Leary has not said why, adding to team parents’ frustration.

In the team’s second-to-last game of the regular season, team parents and supporters wore matching shirts with the suspended player’s number on them. Some players on the ice wore stickers on their helmets with the same design.

O’Leary admonished the action for creating “a highly charged and divisive environment on the ice, in the locker room, and in the stands” and canceled the final game as a response.

The team had earned a playoff spot but was forced to sit out the postseason because of the suspension.

A two-year suspension for failing to complete the season also could be levied on the team by the Maine Principals’ Association, which governs high school athletics, but that decision can be appealed.

Kavanaugh resigned days after the season was canceled.

“Until last night, I thought our program specifically was getting through internal turmoil,” Kavanaugh wrote in his letter of resignation Feb. 16. “Unfortunately my coaching staff and I weren’t given the opportunity to bring our team, and our community, back together.”

In an email this week, O’Leary sought to explain why the investigation has dragged on.

“The investigation is addressing alleged violations of a number of different school district policies,” she wrote. “One of the policies is our Title IX policy, which is a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination. In addition, we have board policies that prohibit hazing, bullying and harassment. Our investigation will result in findings under all of these policies.”

Further, O’Leary said the investigation has two distinct roles. A lawyer from Brann & Isaacson will prepare a report based on interviews and other evidence gathered. That will then go to a separate “a decision maker,” O’Leary said, who will determine findings as well as any consequences for the parties involved.

District policy allows for O’Leary to be the decision maker, but she said she will designate an outside person, whom she did not identify.

Although O’Leary has faced criticism from parents and others in the community, she insists she’s only trying to be thorough and impartial.

Some wonder if the drawn-out process is doing more harm than good.

“Everybody is fed up,” said Trusiani. “But there are some people that feel awkward speaking up, because their kids, they’re gonna play next year, and so some parents are reluctant to get involved. And I understand, I mean, these are kids.”

Several parents have expressed frustration on social media, but when they have been contacted by reporters, have either declined to speak further or have asked to remain anonymous.

“There seems to be no effort to rectify the situation in a timely manner,” one parent said.

“I think that an investigation into the superintendent needs to happen,” said another.

Some parents expressed concerns they and their children would be singled out by new coaches if they spoke publicly. Others worry that adding to the ordeal could prompt the schools in the co-op team to seek other teams to join next season. But they all seem to share a desire to move on.

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