We are pleased to share that the Maine Association of School Nurses has announced a call for nominations for the Maine School Nurse of the Year (SNOY) 2020-21! This award recognizes an outstanding school nurse for contributions to the school and community they serve. The award provides recognition to an individual who demonstrates leadership in 6 areas of practice: care provision, program management, health education, professional development, community involvement, and research.

The individual selected will receive a $500 cash award and be recognized at the July 2020 Maine School Nurse Summer Institute and the May 2021 School Nurse Day Celebration at the Blaine House. We are accepting applications now.

The application deadline is April 25, 2020.  If you know a school nurse who inspires you with his/her dedication to their school community, please consider nominating him/her for this prestigious award! You can access more information or visit the MASN website.

A Complete nomination packet includes:

• • Nomination Form
  • Reference letters (3-5) with at least one from administration
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Written report addressing the six content areas

Submit original and 3 copies by April 25, 2020 to SNOY Coordinator, Erin Taylor.  Email etaylor@capeelizabethschools.org for the appropriate mailing address or with any questions.

The EF-S-214, also known as the EPS High-Cost Out-of-District Report, will be open for reporting by Maine public schools on March 1 in the Department’s NEO Portal. This report is Due April 15, 2020.

We strongly encourage users to sign into the report as early as possible to allow time for data entry and completion of the two-step submission process. To provide state subsidy support in the current fiscal year using information provided on the report, Department staff needs time to review and approve the information by April 15.

Adjustments to the Special Education High-Cost Out-of-District allocation, which impacts state subsidy, will be based on costs which exceed the following:

• $18,076 for placements in Regional Special Education Programs,
• $27,114 for placements in other school administrative units, and
• $36,152 for placements in private schools.

Below are a few important things to note about the EF-S-214 report:

• School units will need to project the tuition cost for the full fiscal year.
• This report is required for all publicly funded school units, including units that do not meet the High-Cost Out-of-District (HCOOD) tuition threshold. If your SAU does meet the HCOOD threshold, please submit as “no students to report”

The report can be located by logging into NEO at: https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/NEO/Accounts/Account/Login

Navigate to→ Special Education → Forms → EFS-214

 Questions about the report should be direct to Stephanie Clark, Fiscal Compliance Specialist for the Maine Department of Education, at 207-624-6807 or Stephanie.clark@maine.gov.

Many Maine schools have partially upgraded to LED lighting, but many older, less efficient lighting fixtures remain. Efficiency Maine is hoping to retire those old fixtures once and for all  through this program, available only to public schools (K-12) in Maine. By upgrading to LEDs you’ll enjoy years of better lighting quality, reduced maintenance costs, energy savings, and more.

For a limited time, Efficiency Maine has enhanced the financial incentives to convert old, inefficient school lighting to LEDs.  Funding will be provided as an incentive of $0.30/kWh saved (first-year savings) capped at $100,000 per school district. Efficiency Maine will conduct three webinar presentations this month to inform interested parties on the specifics of this Funding Opportunity Notice.

To learn more about the Funding Opportunity Notice, and to register for an informational webinar, please click here.

The Office of School and Student Supports in the Department of Education recognizes that our schools and their staff are working hard every day to respond to the varying academic, social, physical, and emotional needs of their students. The Opioid Prevention Task Force, created by Governor Mills’ Executive Order No. 2,identified the need to broadcast and advertise resources available through the Maine Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to schools as one way to support school personnel in their work to respond to the social and emotional needs of students.  

In 2017, a law was passed that requires school administrative units to establish a youth mental health first aid training program for health educators in secondary schools. According to MRS Title 20-A, §6671, if funding is available, SAUs are required to have their secondary schools’ health education staff trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA). NAMI-Maine is excited to be able to offer the evidence-based YMHFA training to any school staff across the state. Through funding from the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation, NAMI-Maine is able to provide these trainings at no cost to schools. Further, NAMI Maine is able to deliver a comprehensive offering of youth mental health programming to both staff and students. For more information, please visit the NAMI-Maine Educator Resources page, or contact the Youth Mental Health Programs Coordinator at ymhfa@namimaine.org or 622-5767 ext. 2320. 

NAMI Online Resource Library 

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE), in partnership with event sponsor University of New England (UNE), is holding a repeat event due to the great response and success of our January Trauma Informed Readiness and Response Workshop. 

Interested schools who are ready to pull together their schools’ Response and Readiness Plan, and who have not already participated in this workshop, are encouraged to apply for this FREE event, scheduled for Thursday, March 19th, 2020 at UNE, Innovation Hall located at 772 Stevens Ave Portland. 

About the Workshop 

Selected school teams will participate in an interactive workshop with their team of three. The day will be focused on Trauma Informed Response and Readiness, with the outcome of each team developing their own plan, or Road Map, that will help guide their school in these areas. Selected teams are eligible for mileage reimbursement and stipends for any substitutes needed for this event. 

Participation Details 

This event pulls from our January wait list, so if you have previously applied, you need not apply again. In addition, there is still room for new applications! Based on demand for this event, MDOE may explore future locations to replicate this informative and collaborative event.  

Please submit your application through the link below for consideration by Friday, February 28, 2020. A few things to note for this event: 

• Only school level teams will be accepted, districts are welcome to apply for more than one team, however all exercises are intended for school level preparedness. Schools will sit together at the event.  
• As this event is slated to reach capacity, unfortunately, teams should consist of a minimum and maximum of 3; please ensure one of the three is listed as the primary contact for the event. 
• All accepted applications will be placed in the order they are received, until event capacity is reached. MDOE requests that any changes in the applicant’s ability to participate be relayed as soon as possible to allow others to move up on the list. 
• Schools interested in applying should access their readiness for the intensive work planned during this workshop. A good resource for acquiring some initial understanding around this topic can be found at: http://www.cassieyackleypsyd.com/creating-trauma-sensitive-schools-a-primer.html 
• Selected teams should bring with them a school invoice for any mileage or substitute costs they would like reimbursed.  

Trauma Informed Readiness and Response Workshop Agenda 

• 8:00 – 8:30 am  ~ Registration / Coffee  
• 8:30 – 9:15 am  ~ Welcome and Introduction, Expectations/ Overview 
• 9:15 – 9:45 am ~ Trauma Informed Practices: Take Home Seminars  
• 9:45 – 10:00 am ~ Break  
• 10:00 – 11:15 am ~ Trauma Informed Perspective and School Culture 
• 11:15 am – 12:00 pm ~ Trauma Informed Readiness and Preparation Road Map Intro 
• 12:00 – 12:45 pm ~ Lunch   
• 12:45 – 1:30 pm  ~ Mental Health Systems: fmr. Chief Justice John Broderick 
• 1:30 – 2:15 pm  ~ Team Development of TIRR Road Map 
• 2:15 – 2:30 pm ~ Break  
• 2:30 – 3:00 pm ~ Team Planning Process for Continuing the Road Map at Your School  
• 3:00 – 3:30 pm ~ Trauma Informed Practices: Take Home Seminars 
• 3:30 – 4:00 pm  ~ Resources and Next Steps 

APPLY NOW! (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KFG77KJ) 

For more information, please reach out to Bear Shea, LCSW with our Office of School and Student Supports at w.bear.shea@maine.gov.