When Alna’s Aaron Robinson got a text Feb. 15 from wife Kristen, a teacher at Damariscotta Montessori School in Nobleboro, he said he reacted to its contents as a father, the husband of a hardworking teacher, a resident and as a member of community organizations including Alna for Choice in Education (ACE).

“It was very distressing,” Robinson said Saturday evening about learning of the concerning message ACE received Feb. 14. He and fellow ACE members Maylene Mitchell,  Jon Villeneuve and Jeff Philbrick, all Alna parents, met with the Wiscasset Newspaper at Robinson’s West Alna Road home Feb. 17, one day after the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it was investigating and asked to hear from anyone with information.

The four explained how the group got the message, what members did next, and ACE’s plans to continue sharing its own message – to keep both private and public schools an option in the town’s publicly funded school choice. Voters decide March 23 if they want to drop the private school portion from kindergarten through grade eight for children who become Alna residents after June 30. The change would also need Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12’s approval.

ACE members said Saturday, they were satisfied with the Sheriff’s Office’s response to the Feb. 14 message, which the group said two of its members reported to the agency. 

Mitchell explained the message came in via alnachoiceeducation.com’s "join us” page, which has fields for a name, email address, phone number and comment. The message appeared in the comments field, according to a copy the group provided of the completed fields. The name, number and address were fake, members said, with Robinson adding he tried emailing to it and his email kicked back to him. 

The copy showed profane phrases in the name and email fields and, in the phone field, Maine’s 207 area code and two sets of repeating numbers. 

A prepared statement members also provided gives a group comment on the message. “This sort of language and mindset directed at children whose parents participate in civic conversation has no place in Alna and we feel that the community does not condone or agree with this sort of behavior.” 

From the group and from Third Selectman Doug Baston’s Feb. 15 email to the town, the Wiscasset Newspaper obtained the message and has opted not to publish it at this time.

Following the incident, the group has kept its website live and members continued plans for a public potluck supper Monday, Feb. 19 at the Alna fire station to share information ACE has gathered in its efforts to defeat the proposed change. Villeneuve said the group formed because the issue didn’t follow the path of a couple of recent ones, the Head Tide Dam changes and the fireworks ordinance: The dam issue had a committee and the ordinance, the planning board, to plan it.

Last week’s message will not impact the group’s efforts, members said. “We are undeterred,” Mitchell said. “We are just going to keep trying to get the information out there.”

“We encourage people to continue to find the facts on the website,” Philbrick said.