Coast Mountains School District 82 Thornhill trustee censured for allegedly breaching confidentiality
Mike Maxim faces sanctions including exclusion from committee work and in-camera meetings until June 2024
The Coast Mountains School District 82 Board of Education has imposed sanctions on Thornhill trustee Mike Maxim following a vote to censure him for an alleged breach of confidentiality. This decision, announced via a news release on Nov. 2, comes after in-camera discussions earlier this fall raised concerns about Maxim's conduct.
Elected by acclamation in 2022, Maxim now faces significant limitations in his role as trustee. The board relied on its Policy 5010 Trustee Code of Ethics to determine the sanctions applied to Maxim.
Under the imposed sanctions, Maxim will be excluded from committee work and in-camera meetings of the Board of Education. He will, however, continue to attend regular board meetings, albeit in a virtual format only. The board emphasized that despite these restrictions, Maxim remains a trustee and a member of the board, with ongoing responsibilities to all learners in the district.
In addition to these limitations, Trustees Ed Harrison and Margaret Warcup will temporarily assume the Trustee School Liaison roles for Thornhill Primary and Elementary Schools, respectively, for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.
The sanctions also extend to Maxim's involvement in provincial meetings related to his trustee role. Any such engagement will no longer be funded by the school district, necessitating Maxim to personally bear these expenses.
These measures are set to remain in place until June 30, 2024, marking the end of the 2023-24 academic year.
The specifics of Maxim's alleged confidentiality breach have not been disclosed, adhering to privacy protocols for in-camera proceedings. Superintendent Aaron Callaghan and Board Chair Margaret Warcup have confirmed that the censure process was conducted in-camera and in line with the board's policies, in a statement to The Skeena Reporter.
Responding to the situation, Maxim told The Skeena Reporter, “Year one was for learning, years two to four are for taking a stand.”