Juniper Hill School For Placed Based Education

We are a collective group of former Juniper Hill School staff and teachers, spanning from 2011-2021. We stand strongly beside Robin Huntley, former co-director, and the information she has shared with The Lincoln County News (“Private Alna school closes amid health violations,” Feb. 25). Sadly, none of the information Huntley shared was a complete surprise to us: the health and safety violations, irresponsible use of funds, and the lack of formal policies and curriculum. We also experienced a lack of administrative support and lack of transparency, as well as exploitative employment practices. Issues like this have persisted at Juniper Hill School since its inception in 2011.

Over the years, families and staff members have brought concerns to the attention of the board and founding Director Anne Stires, and these concerns have never been fully addressed. As a result, the school repeatedly experienced a mass exodus of families, staff, and board members: specifically, in 2013, 2015, 2019, and 2021. Many of us were hired as replacements from out of state, moving to Maine without knowledge of the school’s history. With such high turnover, Stires has been able to lead without oversight or accountability. As a result, the harmful issues persist and the cycle continues.

No one can dispute the beautiful and powerful vision of Juniper Hill School. As current board member Jamie Banks stated, the value and benefits of outdoor and place-based education are unquestionable (“Alna’s Juniper Hill School reopens, board addresses closure,” March 4). Our deep dedication to education that is rooted in community is what brought us to Juniper Hill School in the first place.

We call for a hard stop to the decade-long abuse of authority that is continuing to cause detriment to families, teachers, staff, and students. The painful truth is that Juniper Hill School has spent the last 10 years quietly harming the very community it claims to support.

Unsafe conditions and poor management. The water contains lead, also lead found in outdoor classrooms. The school has many problems and financial issues. The school was forced to shut down and laid off all the teachers. It's reopening without fixing all problems. There is a VERY high teacher turnover rate.