Category: Health and Safety

Behavioral Threat Assessment Team Training

Paid for by the State of Maine, the Behavioral Threat Assessment Team Training gives Maine school districts access to the leading training program for Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) at no cost to them. Targeted violence is preventable. When school teams have the knowledge and skills to identify, assess and intervene, they can help guide students to a safer path.

  • CSTAG Level 1 Training: Begins November 29, 2021 – Asynchronous, online (You must complete Level 1 by 12/14/21 to participate in Level 2).
  • CSTAG Level 2 Training: December 15, 2021 – Synchronous, in-person or virtual
    workshop from 9:00am – 1:00pm.

Training is ideal for all members of a multi-disciplinary BTA Team, including:
School administrators, school mental health professionals, School Resource Officers (SRO) or law enforcement, special education coordinators.

Behavioral Threat Assessment Team Training is a necessity when it comes to helping students move off a path of violence to themselves or others.

The training is hosted by Navigate360, a leader in school safety solutions and Dr. Dewey Cornell, author of the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG).

Those headed down a path of targeted violence display observable behaviors (i.e. they don’t just “snap”) When school communities know these warning signs, they can intervene and help Behavioral Threat Assessment is a fact-based, non-punitive method of identifying the reasons a student may beheaded down a path of violence
BTA uses a collaborative, multidisciplinary team to assess and identify effective interventions and supports that mitigate a potential threat.

For more information about this training: Download the flyer

To register for the trainings contact Karen Barnes, Threat Assessment/Mental Health Officer at the Maine School Safety Center at karen.a.barnes@maine.gov

Maine Kids COVID-19 Vaccination Video Contest

With authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in partnership with the Maine Department of Education (DOE), is sponsoring a competition for videos made by and featuring Maine children encouraging other children to get vaccinated.

Videos can include:

  • Messages children or youth ages 5 to 17 believe will be effective in encouraging other children or youth along with their parents to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Original music or humor
  • Information on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy
  • Discussions of the impact of not getting vaccinated

Information that participants can use in developing these videos can be found at on the US CDC website.

Children can make these videos on their own or as part of a school activity. They can choose whether or not to include their school name.

To enter, contestants must complete the online entry form. Once the form is submitted, contestants will receive an email with instructions for submitting their video.

To be considered videos must be:

  • 30 seconds in length
  • Shot in portrait mode on a smart phone
  • Video file must not exceed 32MB

The deadline for submission is 6pm on November 22. 

The winners will be announced on December 1, 2021. The selection committee includes the Commissioners of Maine DHHS and DOE, and their communications teams.

The selection criteria will include:

  • originality and clarity of the message
  • consistency with public health information on youth vaccination
  • potential to reach groups that may be hesitant to be vaccinated

Three winners will be selected. The prize will be the use of the videos by Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on television via press conferences and/or PSAs and social media in promoting vaccination.

Additionally, the school that the winners attend will receive a cash prize to be used for:

  • supplementing school meals with healthy treats;
  • purchasing playground, classroom, gym, sports or music equipment; enhancing a school fun day; or
  • supporting a school field trip for all students.

Other ideas from the winners will be considered as well. If the winners attend different schools, then the prize will be pro-rated for those schools.

If the participants are home schooled, they may designate a public facing non-profit serving all children in the area receive the prize.

Prize amounts will be:

  • $50,000 for the first-place winner
  • $25,000 for the second-place winner
  • $10,000 for the third-place winner

Winners will need to have a consent form signed by parents that allows:

  1. use of the child’s intellectual property
  2. permission to use an image of the child

Good Luck!

Pediatricians Share: What Parents Need to Know about the COVID-19 Vaccine for Children

The CDC has recently recommended 5 to 11 year old children receive the COVID-19 vaccine, offering a way for parents to protect their children and families from COVID-19 infection. Join MECAP for a forum featuring Maine pediatricians as they share information about children and the COVID-19 vaccine and give advice on what to consider when making the decision to vaccinate children against COVID-19. There will be time for questions from the audience.

Speakers: 

  • Gretchen Pianka, MD, MPH, Pediatrician at Central Maine Pediatrics
  • Jillian Gregory, DO, Pediatric Critical Care Physician at Maine Medical Center
  • Sydney Sewall, MD, MPH, Pediatrician at Maine General Health
  • Michael Ross, MD, Pediatrician at Northern Light Pediatric Primary Care

Moderator: Claire Berkowitz, President, Midcoast Maine Community Action

WHEN: Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 6pm–7:15pm EST

WHERE: Via Zoom, register at mecap.org/events to receive the webinar login information.

Training of the Trainer (TOT) in Suicide Prevention for Schools

NAMI Maine, a training contractor for the Maine Suicide Prevention Program, is offering a Training of the Trainer (TOT) in-person, half-day training on November 16 in Westbrook.

This training prepares participants to deliver a facilitated 60-90 minute suicide prevention awareness session for co-workers and/or community members. The awareness session is required by state law for all school personnel. By attending the Training of the Trainer (TOT) your school administrative unit will be equipped to provide these trainings as needed when new staff are brought in and when previously trained staff is in need of a refresher. Ready-to-use packaged materials will be provided.

Prerequisite: Completed Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training.

For more information and registration click here.

COVID-19 Pre-Screening Tool Updated

The Maine Department of Education has updated its Pre-Screening Tool for School Attendance. Changes include only clarifying language and adding back the lists of common and less common symptoms of COVID-19 which are unchanged from when they were previously listed on the pre-screening tool.

Direct Link: Updated Pre-Screening Tool for School Attendance. The updated version can also be found on the Maine DOE COVID-19 Toolkit under the “School Health Resources” dropdown.

Please note that the Department will provide updated translated versions of the Pre-Screening Tool as soon as possible. Those will replace the 8.16.21 translated versions that are still available here.

For feedback or questions about the pre-screening tool email – Emily.poland@maine.gov

VIDEO: Recognition of National School Lunch Week

In recognition of National School Lunch Week last week, US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and US Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona extend their thanks to school nutrition professionals for their commitment to ensuring children are well-nourished and ready to succeed in school.

Share your thanks with school nutrition professionals at your school with free Stronger with School Meals digital thank you cards.

‘It’s Hardest to Learn Where They’re Least Vaccinated’ by Aley, Anna, and Bill

It is with special permission from renowned artists the Indigo Girls themselves that we present this beautiful nod to their song, “Least Complicated” by Mainers Bill, a music teacher, Aley, a school counselor, and Anna, a parent of a child in school.

This recently recorded, heartfelt song urges communities to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to keep children safe in schools and schools operational.

Check out their music video here:

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WEBINAR: Bullying Awareness and Prevention Resources and Strategies

Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on October 26 at 3:00 PM EDT for an informational webinar on bullying awareness and prevention resources, tactics, and strategies to create safer school environments. This session will provide information and resources to the kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) school community.

The session will feature guest speaker and bullying prevention expert Melissa Mercado Crespo, Ph.D., MSc, MA from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention. She will provide an overview of what bullying is and how to identify it, key strategies and actions schools and school personnel can implement to prevent and address it, and the tools and resources available from the government to support schools in these efforts. She will also describe the different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), their impact on school violence, and the relationship between bullying, suicide, and the well-being of school-age youth.

The discussion will also feature additional school safety-related resources on topics like school climate and mental health access and support and a Q&A session for participants to engage directly with Dr. Mercado Crespo.

  • When: October 26, 2021, 3:00 to 4:00 PM EDT
  • Where: Adobe Connect (access link to be provided one day in advance of the event)
  • For: K-12 School Superintendents and Principals; Counselors and Mental Health Practitioners; School and District Administrators; Teachers and School Staff; School Resource Officers; Parents and Guardians; Students
  • Registration: https://schoolsafetybullyingpreventionwebinar.eventbrite.com

We hope you can join us for this special event during National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Homeland Security’s School Safety team at SchoolSafety@hq.dhs.gov.

Lead Water Sampling Begins on October 1st – Info, Training, and Resources Available

It’s time to start sampling your school’s water for lead!

On October 1, 2021, schools may order sample bottles to begin testing drinking and cooking water fixtures for lead. Maine schools need to either work with their local water professionals or use the provided training materials to identify water sampling locations, collect water samples, coordinate with A&L Laboratory, report results, and follow up with plans/procedures/actions based on the sampling results. If you haven’t done so already, your school should designate someone for this responsibility.

Instructions and training videos can be found online at https://leadtestingmaineschools.com/.

  • Testing for lead follows a very specific process. Carefully read the instructions before taking your first sample. Each step must be followed carefully and in the correct order.
  • If you have any questions or wish to order sample bottles, call A&L Lab at (207) 784-5354 or email them at lead@granitestateanalytical.com.
  • Samples that are improperly taken or submitted will not be analyzed; this will be considered a failure to monitor, at which point the school will be out of compliance with State law.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER:

  • Water must sit idle in the pipes for at least 8 hours before sampling. Do not run or flush the water before collecting your sample.
  • Avoid collecting your samples during or immediately after long school breaks. Samples collected should represent normal water usage at your school.
  • Samples must be returned to A&L Lab within 14 days of being taken. A completed Chain of Custody must accompany your samples. Samples received late or without the correct documentation will not be analyzed.
  • Communicate testing results to parents.

For assistance or to order your sample bottles, contact A&L Lab: Phone: (207) 784-5354 – email: lead@granitestateanalytical.com