Regional School Unit 21, serving students in Arundel, Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport, celebrated Transgender Awareness Week November 13th through the 19th in 2019, along with others around the nation, by promoting and participating in activities that raise the visibility of transgender people.  Kennebunk High School’s (KHS) Gay Straight Transgender Alliance (GSTA), RSU 21,  supported by co-advisors  Lisa McLellan and Jesse Wakeman, organized the activities for the week.

For this year’s activities, one of the GSTA students had an out of the box idea that would have the potential to really get people to take note of the importance of transgender awareness. An athlete and transgender themselves, the student noticed that Schuyler Bailar, an idol of theirs best known as the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer, was going to be in the area around the same time as Transgender Awareness Week. “I thought his conversation would be applicable to things that I have faced and that people in our district have faced,” said the student. Taking a leap of faith, they tried to connect with Schuyler to ask if he was available and willing to come to Kennebunk High School as a guest speaker. “I really didn’t expect that he would be able to come,” the student recalled.

With a little luck and some impeccable timing, Schuyler was available and willing to come. GSTA Advisor Lisa McLellan got the news from the student over the weekend and quickly worked with KHS Principal Susan Cressey and RSU 21 Superintendent Phillip Potenziano, to secure funding, rearrange schedules, and iron out other details to make this very important event possible in time for Transgender Awareness Week.

Schuyler ended up coming the Friday of Transgender Awareness Week, during a time that was available to all students for a voluntary talk. The event was also open to members of the public as well as educators and school administrators who wanted to attend.

The opening speaker for the event was the GTSA student who had originally invited Schuyler. About 70 kids showed up, along with community members, parents, teachers, school and district leaders, and school board members. “I had a lot of emotions,” said the student thinking back on the talk, remembering one thing that really stood out was the amount of community members and “big wigs” in the audience.

“He was such a compassionate speaker,” said McLellan, in recounting her experience during the talk with Schuyler. “He shared his story of growing up knowing that he wasn’t how others saw him and talked about the stages of his life that eventually led him to become who he is today. He even did a segment on vocabulary in which he taught everyone how to talk about the issues using the right words. The range of questions from the audience was everything from specifics of surgery, to ‘how did you come out to your parents?’.” As the event came to a close, Schuyler invited people to speak to him individually after the talk, and also gave out his email address to people he felt might want to talk some more.

When asked what the best part of the event was, the student said, “Seeing people’s reactions at the end, and the understanding that they were given of what people face when they are transgender.” Following up by saying that, “Schuyler is an amazing speaker and it would be ‘awesome’ if other schools have him or someone like him come to their schools to speak to students.” The student noted that, “If there are students in the crowd, they will know they are not alone, and other people experience the same things as them.”

The Maine Department of Education is seeking qualified peer reviewers to read, assess, and score competitive grant proposals for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Program.  This federally-funded grant program provides opportunities for schools and communities to develop “community learning centers” that serve children and youth during out-of-school time.  Maine currently has 33 grant-funded 21st CCLC programs operating 57 individual centers in communities across the state.  Grant proposals for the 21st CCLC program will be evaluated through a formal peer review process, which will ensure that quality applications are selected for funding.

This year’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 21st CCLC program was released to the public on January 2 and is available online at: https://www.4pcamaine.org/century21/FY2020/. The Department anticipates receiving proposals from local education agencies, community-based organizations, and other eligible entities seeking awards under this RFP.

Qualifications:

Peer reviewers will be selected for their experience in providing effective academic support, enrichment, youth development, and related support services for children and youth.  The most qualified reviewers will be individuals who have experience in the administration of high-quality youth development programs within schools and communities.  Examples of the experienced individuals sought include, but are not limited to:

• 21st CCLC program directors and site coordinators
• Teachers and principals
• College and university staff
• Youth development workers
• Community resource providers

Please note that an applicant or member of an applicant’s organization will not be selected to serve as a member of the Department’s peer review team.

Required Tasks:

Selected peer reviewers will work individually to read each assigned application and create detailed, objective, constructive, and well-written comments on approximately 10-15 applications based on the criteria established in the RFP. These comments will be turned in to the Department prior to participating in on-site consensus scoring sessions.  Reviewers must be able to participate in an online training webinar and review grant applications through a web-based system.  It is anticipated that peer reviewers will have a three (3) week window in which to complete their individual review of assigned proposals.  Following the individual review of proposals, each peer reviewer will be required to travel to the Maine Department of Education for two scheduled scoring days.  It is during these consensus scoring sessions that each peer reviewer will work with the other members of the peer review team to score each application.

Selected peer reviewers must complete the following tasks during the following date(s):

Task	Date(s)	Time(s)
Participate in an online training webinar	April 3, 2020	1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Review grant applications through a web-based system and provide individual, written comments on each application (which MUST be turned in to the Department)	April 6, 2020 – April 28, 2020	Any Time
Participate in on-site consensus scoring sessions which will be located at the Maine Department of Education in Augusta, ME	April 30, 2020; May 1, 2020	9:00 AM – 4:00 PM; 9:00 AM – Finished

Compensation for Services:

Peer reviewers who complete the required tasks will be reimbursed for travel costs to and from the consensus scoring sessions as well as provided a $85 honorarium per assigned application.

Previous reviewers have found that serving as a member of the peer review team is an excellent opportunity for professional development and growth. It is likely that, if selected, reviewers will be exposed to new program models, strategies, and practices.  These new concepts may provide ideas and support for ongoing work as well as future grant writing efforts.  Most importantly, the time given to this effort will help ensure the funding of quality education programs for the children and families of Maine.

How to Apply:

Interested parties should contact Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov to obtain a copy of the 2020 peer reviewer application and then return the completed application along with a current resume or CV.

Pursuant to Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, peer reviewers may not include any applicant, or representative of an applicant, that has or will submit a proposal in response to the current competition.

Deadline:

The Maine Department of Education will be accepting peer reviewer applications on a rolling basis until March 6, 2020, or until the needed positions are filled.  Interested parties are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Contact:

For more information, contact State Coordinator, Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov or 624-6709.

• Laptops/computer devices are NOT required as during these training sessions you do not need to be logged into either the eMPowerME or SAT portals.
• If you are unable to attend one of the in-person trainings, a recording of the 2/13 training at USM Portland will be posted on the eMPowerME Help and Support Site https://maine.onlinehelp.cognia.org/training/

The Department of Education offers quarterly windows for districts to review, for accuracy and comprehensiveness, the data that has been entered and reported to us. It is our hope that review of this data on a more regular basis will save district personnel time and work at the end of the year, and that it will provide time for analysis and to make any necessary corrections.

The certification period for Quarter 2 (Q2), which includes attendance, behavior, bullying, and truancy opens January 1st.  Review and certification are required by January 15th. Superintendent certification is required for all quarterly reports.

Attendance data certification can be found here, and guidance on reporting attendance can be found here.

Behavior data certification can be found here, and guidance on reporting behavior can be found here.

Bullying data certification can be found here and guidance on reporting bullying can be found here.

Truancy data certification can be found here, and guidance on reporting truancy can be found here.

If you have difficulties navigating to Synergy or NEO, please call the Helpdesk at 624-6896 or email at medms.helpdesk@maine.gov

All due dates for reports are listed on the MDOE reporting calendar. All quarterly reports are based on the following months:

Quarter Two (Q2) – As of Jan 1 (to include Oct through Dec) – due Jan 15

Quarter Three (Q3) – As of April 1 (to include Jan through March) – due April 15

Quarter Four (Q4)– As of July 1 (to include Apr through June) – due July 15

Quarter One (Q1)– As of Oct 1 (to include July, August, Sept) – due Oct 15

 

In order to assist SAUs with their legislatively mandated student truancy data reporting, the Maine Department of Education Data and School and Student Supports Teams are jointly offering a free webinar to review the requirements, and answer questions from the field as they relate to the truancy reporting process. The webinar is strongly encouraged for those responsible for the compilation and entry of required student truancy data. The Truancy Q&A Webinar will be held on Wednesday, January 22^nd from 10:00 am to 11:00am.

Webinar registration link:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5230591621775051019

Truancy definitions and guidelines on reporting truancy can be found here.

Instructions on how to report incidents of truancy can be found here.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to this webinar, or in regards to how to enter incidents of truancy, please call the Helpdesk at 624-6896 or email at medms.helpdesk@maine.gov .

If you have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to what constitutes a reportable truancy incident, please call Gayle Erdheim at 624-6637 or email at Gayle.Erdheim@maine.gov .

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce the release of a request for proposals (RFP) seeking bids from interested parties to implement comprehensive 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) programming in 2020-2021.  It is anticipated that roughly $2M will be available to issue grant awards later this year.

Authorized under Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Act of 2015, the 21st CCLC program provides competitive grant funding to support before school, after school, and summer learning programs that focus on improving the academic performance of students in pre-Kindergarten through grade 12.

The primary purpose of Maine’s 21^st CCLC program is to provide funding for school and community partnerships to establish or expand community learning center programs.  These programs provide students in high-need, economically-disadvantaged communities with academic tutoring and enrichment opportunities designed to complement their school-day academic program.  In addition, these programs can provide a broad array of additional support services related to overall student health and well-being.

Local 21^st CCLC programs – which can be located in elementary schools, secondary schools or similarly accessible community facilities – provide high quality support services to students during non-school hours.  As such, these programs also support working parents and families by providing safe, supportive learning environments for students at times when school is not in session.

The request for proposal (RFP), which includes information regarding eligibility, program requirements, and more, is available here . An informational webinar for this RFP will be posted to the  Department’s on application website January 16, 2020.  It is strongly recommended that interested parties view this presentation, in its entirety, prior to submitting a proposal for 21^st CCLC program funding.

Below is the anticipated timeline for the Department’s current 21^st CCLC grant competition:

Date	Task
January 2, 2020	RFP Released to Public
January 16, 2020	Informational Webinar Posted Online
February 20, 2020	Deadline for Submission of Questions in Response to RFP
March 3, 2020	Interested Parties Submit Letter of Intent to Apply
April 2, 2020	Proposal Deadline
April 2020	Formal Peer Review of Proposals
May 2020	Grant Award Notifications
July 1, 2020	Grant Award Start Date

Please be advised that the dates above are subject to change.  Interested parties must consult the RFP document for the most accurate dates and deadlines regarding this opportunity.

For more information on the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) Program, contact State Coordinator, Travis Doughty, at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov.

In the first session of the 129th legislature, LD 1370, An Act To Address Dangerous Behavior in the Classroom, was passed. In a collaborative effort to provide unified guidance to our profession and colleagues, the leaders of Maine Department of Education(DOE), Maine Education Association (MEA), Maine Principals Association(MPA),Maine School Superintendents Association and Maine School Board Association (MSSA/MSBA), and Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities(MADSEC) have met and reached consensus on the following:

Unified Guidance on LD1 370

• Dangerous Behavior – student behavior that presents a risk of injury or harm to others; this applies to all students, including those with 504 plans or IEPs.

• Procedure –
  1. A school employee reports behavior, invoking the process;
  2. Administrator/designee investigates the incident and reaches out to bargaining unit leadership, who will appoint an individual.
  3. The administrator/designee reviews report with the appointed staff person.
  4. If incident is substantiated as dangerous behavior, the administrator/designee consults with the staff member who was subjected to the behavior (if applicable) in the development of a response plan aimed at supporting safer behaviors. *If the plan is not in alignment with an existing 504 plan or IEP, the administrator/designee will provide the appropriate team with information from the consultation with impacted staff person.  The team will consider appropriate revisions to the 504 plan or IEP, as needed.

• Staff Sick Leave –
  1. A physician’s note must verify that time out of work is necessary due to injury caused by substantiated dangerous behavior by a student.
  2. Paid leave will be provided without impacting the employee’s existing benefits.
  3. If the necessity of time out of work, due to injury caused by substantiated dangerous behavior of a student, cannot be verified by a physician’s note, paid leave will be adjusted accordingly.

We are grateful for the partnership and stewardship of these organizations.