NORTH BERWICK, Maine — A Noble High School teaching intern says she was barred from the school Tuesday after hosting an in-class poetry slam contest where profanity was used.



Wren Hayes, 26, who had been teaching at the school for nearly a year as part of an internship for her master's degree at the University of New Hampshire, said her university adviser told her to stay away from school grounds and avoid contact with students or teachers after a parent complained to the school about the language used in the Feb. 29 slam contest.



Hayes, who said she warned students and school administrators, including the principal, that slam poems can contain "strong language," indicated there were two instances of profanity used during the contest.



The first was by a 12th-grade female student, who used the line "Why the (expletive) did you do that?" in a poem she wrote about a person she knew who committed suicide.



The second was by one of nine slam poets who were invited to the event, who used one curse word "more so than I would've appreciated," Hayes said.



Superintendent Paul Andrade wouldn't confirm or deny if Hayes was barred from the school due to the poetry slam, though he did say of the situation: "We're working on it."



"We're still in the process of meeting with (Hayes') student adviser," said Andrade, who gave few specifics about the issue because it was a "personnel matter."



Andrade instead explained the role of free speech in schools.



"Students have a right to free speech, (but) there are limits as to what you can say," he said. "You can't yell 'fire' in the middle of an auditorium."



The school's 2007-08 student/parent handbook has a "Civility Policy Code" that reads: " It is the intent of the school board to promote mutual respect, civility and orderly conduct among district employees, parents and the public. It is not the intent of the school board to deprive any person of his or her right to freedom of expression. The intent of this policy is to maintain, to the greatest extent reasonably possible, a safe, harassment-free environment."



The code states that "Disruptive behavior includes, but is not necessarily limited to ... Using loud and/or offensive language, swearing, cursing or display of temper."



There are no specific punishments listed for violating the code.



Hayes said she and her UNH adviser will meet with school officials on Tuesday. She said she has not had any contact with school officials since the day of the slam.



Principal Joseph Findlay declined to comment when reached by telephone Wednesday afternoon.



"They've made very strong judgments about me without speaking to me," Hayes said, adding she was told by school officials not to talk to the press.



When reached on her cell phone Wednesday, Hayes said the poetry slam contest was "phenomenal." When the expletives were used during the performance, "Students never blinked ... they never thought twice about it," Hayes said, adding she prepped students to be aware of expletives that are often used in slam poems.



Hayes noted that books such as "Catcher in the Rye" and "The Grapes of Wrath," which are part of the school's curriculum, contain swear words.



Hayes said there had been no previous problems during her nearly yearlong internship at the school.



"This wasn't the final straw. This was the only straw," she said.



Hayes was working 40-hour weeks at the school for credit toward her master's degree in Secondary English. The poetry slam contest was the culmination of an eight-week poetry class she had been teaching.



Andrade said Noble High and UNH have participated in a student-internship teaching program for about a decade, and that there have not been any problems in the past.



"It's been a very beneficial relationship," he said.



Kim Billings, a university spokesperson, wrote in an e-mail message: "The university is aware of the situation and we are working with officials at the high school."



Hayes had been scheduled to graduate from UNH on May 15. She doesn't know if she will be able to graduate on time because she needs to complete her internship to finish the master's program.