Today Governor Mills issued Executive Order #52, (see Executive Order #52) to assist educators impacted by the COVID-19 disruptions with completing their certification and/or Criminal History Record Check (CHRC) processes.  The Executive Order includes the following:

• If you have a certification expiration date of February 1, 2020 through July 1, 2020, and have completed all needed components, you are encouraged to renew your certification now. This certification will be valid for five years;
• If you have a certification expiration date of February 1, 2020 through July 1, 2020, and, due to interruptions caused by COVID-19, you do not have all completed documents for renewal, your expiration date will be automatically extended by one year of the original expiration date. The expiration date of such a renewed certificate will be four years from the date of renewal issuance;
• For applications submitted during this period of state of emergency, enforcement of the requirement for fingerprinting is suspended until 30 days following the end of the state of emergency;
• For applications submitted during the of state of emergency, enforcement of the requirement for Praxis testing is suspended;
• A conditional certificate that, because of incomplete coursework, is due to expire on July 1, 2020 is extended to July 1, 2021.

While the Maine Department of Education (DOE) encourages educators not impacted by COVID-19 to renew on time, those educators who have not applied for renewal by July 1, 2020 will be granted a one-year extension.  For those educators receiving a professional certificate extension who apply for renewal in 2021, their next renewal cycle will be four years, rather than five, and will expire July 1, 2025.

Educators on their third year of a conditional certificate who have not applied for a new certificate by July 1, 2020, due to unfinished coursework, will receive an extension of one year.

The Executive Order also provides for issuance of a temporary CHRC due to the limited availability of fingerprinting locations in Maine.  An educator receiving a temporary CHRC will need to be fingerprinted immediately following 30 days after the expiration of the Civil Emergency.

We have created a table and decision-making diagrams to assist you in proceeding with your certification and/or CHRC actions.  The table can be found here.  The initial certification diagram is here, and the renewal diagram is here.

Please for further information email the Certification Team at Cert.doe@maine.gov.

Today Governor Mills signed Executive Order #52, An Order Regarding Certain Education Matters, found here, which included the easing of restrictions for the use of flashing red lights on school buses during the state of emergency due to COVID-19.

With many School Administrative Units (SAUs) utilizing school buses to provide for education and school nutrition resources for their students, the use of the school bus flashing red lights was deemed necessary to alert drivers to stop for the school bus while the bus is stopped for approaching or disembarking students or staff.

The Executive Order specifically states that, “The Department of Public Safety is authorized during this period of emergency to suspend enforcement of 29-A M.R.S. §2308(4) and permit the Department of Education to authorize school bus drivers to use flashing red lights on school buses to control traffic while delivering food, supplies and other school related materials to students and their families.”

For further information, please contact Pat Hinckley at pat.hinckley@maine.gov or Lt. Bruce Scott at bruce.g.scott@maine.gov.

The next meeting of the Commission on Educational Opportunity for Military Children will be held on Wednesday May 27th at 9:30am. Interested parties may email Tyler Backus at tyler.backus@maine.gov to receive a meeting invite.

All 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, belong to the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3). Each state appoints a council to oversee the implementation of the Compact at the state level.

States that sign on to the Compact commit to doing what it takes to:

• Enroll children of military families at their new schools as quickly and seamlessly as possible, even in the absence of normally required official records and immunizations; and
• Ensure that students with parents in the Armed Forces stay on track to graduate on time, even when such students’ academic records don’t comply perfectly with local graduation requirements.

More information about MIC3 is available at http://www.mic3.net/ or https://www.maine.gov/doe/military

On May 5, 2020 the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that Maine, North Dakota, West Virginia and Vermont were approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), a new program authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which provides assistance to families of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the closure of classroom-based instruction.

Maine, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Vermont will be able to operate Pandemic EBT, a supplemental food purchasing benefit to current SNAP participants, and as a new EBT benefit to other eligible households, to offset the cost of meals that would have otherwise been consumed at school. For the 2019-2020 school year, Maine had approximately 77,000 children eligible for free and reduced-priced lunch, or approximately 42% of children in participating schools.

Maine Fact Sheet

What is P-EBT?:
The USDA Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program is being managed by Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Maine Department of Education (DOE) is supporting by securely sharing data and promoting the program to districts. The program allows states to provide benefits (like SNAP or “food stamps”) to children who normally receive free or reduced-price meal benefits.
How do families receive this benefit?
If a family has an existing Pine Tree card and is considered open on SNAP or TANF with a child in the household who was age 5 (as of 10/15/2019) through age 18, benefits will automatically be provided to their existing accounts in May. Families should verify the benefits have been added to their cards.
If the family does not have SNAP or TANF benefits but is qualified to receive free or reduced-price meals, they also qualify for the benefit. If the district has submitted their enrollment and economic status updates to the DOE regularly, these families should already be on the list DHHS is using for benefits. Families will get a new card and will need to call the phone number on the back to activate. Additional information, such as date of birth, will need to be provided to DHHS by the families as part of the activation process.  If the child was not age 5 as of 10/15/19 and received free or reduced lunch in Pre-K the family must request P-EBT through DHHS.
If children did not receive free or reduced-price meals and a household is interested in the program, the family needs to apply for free and reduced-price meal benefits. The family can apply through their local school district.  Paper applications must be available during the school year, but online applications can be used.  If the family is found eligible, they can call 1-855-797-4357 and provide required information to an eligibility specialist. The district must do an enrollment update to DOE for the student’s name to be entered into the database shared with DHHS.  The information provided by the guardian will be verified with DOE data, so it is important that enrollment data provided to DOE from districts reflects the change. If families are newly eligible for free or reduced-price meals, they will only receive one benefit amount.
What is the benefit value of P-EBT?
The P-EBT benefit is meant to replace the value of school breakfast and lunch while schools are closed. Benefits are issued on a card for families to use. There are 2 benefit amounts planned: 1) Combined March and April benefit is $189 per child and will be available in May. 2) Combined May and June is $194 per child and will be available in June.
What if families do not want the benefits?
Families that already have a Pine Tree Card that receive benefits will need to call DHHS and ask to have P-EBT removed. Families receiving a new card for P-EBT (it will be a white card) should destroy and dispose of the card.
Can students still get meals through our district during the Unanticipated Closure if they receive P-EBT?
Yes, this program is above and beyond the current COVID-19 Child Nutrition Programs being operated.
How often do districts need to upload enrollment and economic status information?
Districts should upload whenever there is a change to the student’s enrollment or eligibility. Data is transferred from DOE to DHHS every Thursday morning so to be included in that week’s transfer, data must be received by close of business on Wednesday.

Information about how districts should enter or upload the information may be found at:
https://www.maine.gov/doe/data-reporting/collection/helpdesk/resources/synergy_instructions
Information on how to manually enter the information may be found at:
https://www.maine.gov/doe/sites/maine.gov.doe/files/inline-files/EconomicStatusManualEntryGuide.pdf
More information on Economically Disadvantaged Status may be found here:
https://www.maine.gov/doe/schools/nutrition/economicallydisadvantaged

Who do I call if I have questions about P-EBT?
DHHS is the lead for this program. Please call 1-855-797-4357.

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In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits.  Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.  Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1)     mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2)      fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3)      email: program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
The Maine Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, religion, ancestry or national origin.
Complaints of discrimination must be filed at the office of the Maine Human Rights Commission, 51 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0051. If you wish to file a discrimination complaint electronically, visit the Human Rights Commission website at https://www.maine.gov/mhrc/file/instructions and complete an intake questionnaire. Maine is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Maine Department of Education is pleased to partner with Council of Chiefs State School Officers (CCSSO) and  XQ Institute on Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020, a one-hour primetime show, paying joyful tribute to high school seniors, their extraordinary teachers, and their families.  

XQ is partnering with The LeBron James Family Foundation, The Entertainment Industry Foundation, and a broad coalition of education, philanthropic, and corporate partners to develop this commercial-free special, airing on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC on Saturday, May 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT/MT. The show will also be available through partners such as Complex Networks, Facebook, Instagram, PEOPLE, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. #GraduateTogether also offers a robust website and multiple opportunities for students, educators, and families to engage digitally.  

Maine high school seniors, their families, and educators are invited to participate and provide content to the show.  XQ’s message to our students: 

The Class of 2020 is redefining high school graduation with a first-of-its-kind national ceremony. So get ready to go big while you’re at home—because this one-hour primetime national graduation celebration is all about YOU. 

Tell us what you want to see during your graduation ceremony. Submit your own story and tell us about others whose stories need to be told. 

Learn more about how you can participate by sending in your photo, story, speech, words of wisdom and more!  Be sure to watch the show, and look for where to access special messages, created just for Maine graduates.  

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A unique world of remote learning and creative teaching has been the norm in recent weeks, but summer vacation is right around the corner. Summer vacation will be a welcome change of pace for families and teachers, yet the importance of summer reading will be as critical as ever. Educators and families have worked tirelessly to engage and challenge students. Making reading a part of the student experience this summer will be invaluable to a successful return to classrooms in the fall.

Once again, this year, the Maine Department of Education is collaborating with the Freemasons of Maine to sponsor the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge for students in grades PK-8.  The Maine Freemasons have generously donated 48 bikes with helmets as prizes for the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge.  During the first four years of this initiative, thousands of Maine children completed the challenge of reading 500 minutes during summer vacation.  Maine DOE hopes to see this number grow even higher during the summer of 2020.

Any school with students in the PK-8 grade span may register to participate. Participating schools will collect documentation from students who have completed the challenge. They will hold school level drawings to select two students whose names will be entered into the state level drawing to be held on September 25, 2020.   Schools are encouraged to participate in this challenge, to coordinate it with any other summer reading challenges/programs they offer, and to consider soliciting their own local level prizes for students who complete the challenge.  Find details and the link to register your school at the Read to Ride Challenge website.

Summer slide can be prevented or greatly reduced when students continue to read on a regular basis. By encouraging children to read for enjoyment from a variety of resources and to explore topics of interest, they continue to practice applying the skills they have learned, build their vocabulary, and widen their knowledge of the world.  For students who are not yet reading independently, or just beginning to read, reading to and with parents is equally beneficial.

Questions may be directed to Maine DOE’s Elementary Literacy Specialist, Danielle Saucier at danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov.