Pavel Dokukin, 39, of Augusta in a screenshot from Wednesday’s meeting of the Augusta Board of Education. Dokukin, who spoke against policies related to transgender students and bathroom use, was arrested on a charge of criminal trespassing during the public comment part of the meeting, when he refused to stop talking after reaching the two minutes allotted each speaker.  Screenshot from CTV7

AUGUSTA — An Augusta man was arrested Wednesday night on a charge that he broke the rules for public comment during a meeting of the city’s Board of Education.

Pavel Dokukin, 39, was arrested on a charge of criminal trespassing when he refused to stop talking after reaching the two minutes allotted each speaker. 

The regularly scheduled business meeting had dozens of attendees who showed up to speak out against bathroom policies related to transgender students.

The Board of Education voted Wednesday night to update a Title IX policy related to handling complaints so they are in line with new federal guidelines, but nothing on the agenda was related to the policy around transgender students.  

Superintendent Michael Tracy Jr. said Thursday that all Augusta residents have the legal right to make a public comment at Board of Education meetings. However, he said, the updated Title IX policies passed by the board do not have anything to do with bathroom usage or transgender students.  

“While some attendees expressed strong views regarding gender identity and bathroom use,” Tracy said, “these matters were not on the agenda nor part of the board’s deliberations.”

During the public comment part of the meeting, Dokukin stepped to the podium to ask the board questions, demanding eye contact several times. He was wearing a T-shirt decorated with photographs of the faces of six Augusta Board of Education members and a patch of a burning LGBTQ pride flag, as did another protester, Nicholas Blanchard of Augusta. The T-shirts read: “There are 2 genders: MALE & FEMALE. ‘Trust the science.'”

Dokukin asked board members if they would take responsibility for any harm done to a child because of bathroom policies related to transgender students. He also asked the board why it is not accommodating to parents who disagree with the policies.

When Dokukin reached his two-minute limit, Chairperson Martha Witham asked him to stop talking. Instead, Dokukin spoke over her and alleged she was not paying attention.

As Dokukin continued to speak, Witham called to the Augusta police officer who was on duty at the meeting. The officer then approached the podium and asked Dokukin to stop talking.

After Dokukin refused again, the officer brought him out of the room and placed him under arrest as the board took a 10-minute recess.

“During the meeting, the board chair established clear guidelines for public comment,” Tracy said. “When those guidelines were not followed, appropriate measures were taken, including requesting one participant to exit the meeting.

“The Augusta School Department will not pursue any charges related to events at last evening’s meeting, and I cannot comment on any law enforcement matters.”  

About 10 members of the public spoke Wednesday night in opposition to transgender students using the bathroom of the gender with which they identify. The members of the public were told repeatedly by school officials and board members that Augusta schools, like all schools in the state, must adhere to the Maine Human Rights Act, which is law.

The speakers were mostly parents who said they wanted to protect their children from alleged or potential harassment in school bathrooms. School officials said any student or staff member can use the single-stall bathrooms at Cony Middle and High School at 60 Pierce Drive in Augusta.

The Augusta Board of Education does not have a policy relating to transgender students. A proposed policy came before the board in December 2023, but members were divided over it and ultimately voted it down.

Some school districts in central Maine have a transgender student policy, including Gardiner-based Maine School Administrative District 11, which received pushback from community members, ultimately leading the school district to build single-stall bathrooms open to all genders.

When a school district does not have a specific policy in place, then it is guided by state law.

The updated Title IX policies on the agenda Wednesday night in Augusta were for harassment complaint procedures for students and staff members. The Board of Education has spent the past couple of months approving the updated policies, which went into effect Aug. 1.

The Augusta School Department is one of the districts named in a federal injunction from the political group Moms for Liberty. The injunction means the federal government cannot force the named schools to adopt the updated Title IX guidelines until a court renders a decision, though the Maine Department of Education said the schools, which includes Cony Middle and High School, can still move forward with approving the policies on their own. 

“If the policies tonight pass, nothing is going to change in the bathrooms.” Witham said Wednesday. “Nothing has changed since 2013 (with the Maine Human Rights Act) in bathroom use for students who identify as transgender.”