Selectman Michael Schneider, who dropped out of sight more than a month ago, returned to the Board of Selectman Tuesday with harsh words for community members whom he claimed had threatened his family. He said he would remain a member of the board.

“The privilege of serving Wareham has meant a great deal to me. But there have been personal costs. High personal costs,” Schneider read from a prepared statement at the beginning of the board's regular meeting.

He said he had taken the past several weeks to move his children out of the Wareham School District to avoid unspecified threats.

“There is something seriously wrong when children are being victimized by the administration of an institution that is entrusted to grow their minds and protect them during the school day," he read.

Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch said he did not hear Schneider’s comments, but noted: “I am unaware of any reports from the family to the school … or Superintendent’s office.”

Rabinovitch continued: “It is abhorrent to threaten any child. We have a harassment policy to deal with such events when they are reported.”

Before Tuesday, Schneider had missed two consecutive regularly scheduled Board of Selectmen meetings and one special meeting of the board. Fellow board members said they had not seen him since Aug. 2, his 1st Avenue home stood empty, and his son told those who inquired that the family had moved to Florida.

In his statement Schneider said he doesn't regularly speak with other board members outside of meetings. He claimed he had stopped taking phone calls from fellow members between board meetings because of "consistent violations" to the Open Meeting law.

He went on: “You certainly don’t tell people whose friends are complicit about your family’s well-being where they are going . . . I will not apologize for putting my family ahead of the concerns of those who have become so very adept at whipping people into a frenzy utilizing the local media.”

It is not clear what he meant by either of those remarks. The Open Meeting law does not prevent Selectmen from speaking one-on-one to each other between meetings. And he did not state what the alleged threats were or who he believed had made them.

When approached after the meeting, Schneider responded: "I have nothing for you!”

As a visibly angry Schneider read on, he questioned the publicity surrounding his absence and took aim at the commenters on Wareham Week's WarehamVillageSoup.com’s website. He said that, if there was anyone from Wareham Week present at the meeting, "You should be ashamed of yourself."

“I’m sorry Mr. Schneider feels that way,” Wareham Week publisher Anne Eisenmenger said after the meeting.

She noted that the comment that appears to have offended Schneider most questioned why the selectmen’s wife would explain the family’s departure as being necessary to protect their children from harassment when one of the children – albeit a young adult – was left behind to live in the empty house.

“While I can understand why Mr. Schneider was unhappy to read that comment,” she said. “it seems well within the bounds of legitimate discussion of a Selectmen’s apparent disappearance.”

After the meeting, Selectmen Ellen Begley, Steve Holmes, and Walter Cruz  declined to comment. Selectman Cara Winslow simply said: “I am happy he is back.” On Wednesday, Holmes echoed that sentiment but declined to comment further.