Category: Health and Safety

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

VIDEO: We are Here for You

Dear Champions of Education,

Our team at the Department of Education is here to support you and your colleagues throughout this year, as you continue to provide a welcoming and safe school where students can grow and learn.

We recognize the challenges you face every year, and the extraordinary ones that COVID-19 continues to present. Please remember that our Office of School and Student Supports and our Maine School Safety Center are here to help. They offer a library of resources, frequent virtual technical assistance and support meetings, and a team of specialists who will collaborate with and advise schools and educators with best practices.

Please take a moment to hear from our OSSS and MSSC teams in a special message for our education colleagues, and look for more resources from your DOE team in the coming weeks.

With Gratitude and Respect,
Pender

FREE TRAINING: Behavioral Threat Assessment

What is school-based behavioral threat assessment? 

  • Violence prevention strategy recommended by the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Secret Service, and FBI.
  • Multidisciplinary team approach to identify behaviors of concern, assess the level of risk, and provide appropriate interventions.

Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG TRAINING):

  • Consists of 2 levels of training.
  • Level 1: 8 eLearning modules, taking approximately 6 hours, to be completed at your convenience asynchronously online. Training window opens on October 4, 2021.
  • Level 2: 4-hour Synchronous training to work through practice cases applying the methodology learned in the Level 1 training. October 19th via Zoom from 9:00-1:00.

Who should attend?

  • School Resource Officers
  • School Administrators
  • Law Enforcement Responding to Schools
  • School Mental Health Providers/Social Workers/Psychologists
  • School Safety Teams
  • Juvenile Community Corrections Officers

How to register?

  • Contact Karen Barnes, Threat Assessment/Mental Health Officer at the Maine School Safety Center at karen.a.barnes@maine.gov for more information or to be added to the training roster.
  • Additional training dates TBA.

Readiness and Emergency Management News & Updates

Please access the U.S. Department of Education’s Readiness and Emergency Management (REMS) Technical Assistance Center’s September 2021 Newsletter for information on National Preparedness Month, Topic-Specific Resources Web Pages: Rapid Assessment, Recovery, and Shelter-In-Place, Improving School Climate Through the Use of Culture and Climate Assessments, and information about Hosting a Regional In-Person or Virtual Training By Request.

REMS TA September 2021 Newsletter

For further information or assistance with emergency management, contact the Maine School Safety Center.

 

Webinar Announcement – Preparing for Cyber Threats in K-12 Schools on 9/28

Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on September 28 at 3:00 PM ET for an informational webinar on cybersecurity threats, recommendations, and resources for the kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) school community.

Hosted in preparation for Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, the session will feature a regional cybersecurity expert from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, who will provide an overview of common cyber threats to the K-12 community, as well as how to plan, prepare for, and respond to these risks and implement best practices to maintain safe and secure networks.

The discussion will feature information on threats such as ransomware attacks, data breaches, denial of service, and phishing attempts, as well as a question and answer period for participants to engage directly with our speakers.

  • When: September 28, 2021, 3:00 to 4:00 PM ET
  • Where: Adobe Connect (access link to be provided one day in advance of the event)
  • Who: K-12 School Superintendents and Principals; School and District Administrators; Information Technology and Information Security Personnel; Teachers and School Staff; Local Law Enforcement and Emergency Management Personnel; Parents
  • Registration: https://schoolsafetycybersecuritywebinar.eventbrite.com

We hope you can join us for this special event as we kick off Cybersecurity Awareness Month. If you have any questions, please contact the DHS School Safety team at SchoolSafety@hq.dhs.gov.

This webinar is part of the 2021 School Safety Webinar Series, a program hosted by the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse to address emerging risks and threats facing the K-12 school community. Held on a monthly basis, the webinar series covers a range of school safety topics, and provides information on the resources, tools, and best practices available to equip school leaders with a set of strategies in creating safer and more resilient school systems. Learn more about the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse at SchoolSafety.gov.

REMINDER: How to use Sara Alert™ COVID-19 Monitoring System Safely and Effectively

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) contact tracing team uses Sara Alert (844) 957-2721 to monitor students and staff in PK-12 schools who have been in close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Sara Alert is a public health system that supports the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor for symptoms amongst the school population.

In an effort to ensure that Maine schools and their communities have all of the information they need to use Sara Alert™ safety and to ensure their personal information is safe while enrolled in Sara Alert™. Please disperse these helpful informational flyers to school communities statewide:

For more information email sarasupport@aimsplatform.com or visit www.saraalert.org.

VIRTUAL TRAINING: Suicide Prevention Curriculum Lessons Training

Join the Maine Department of Education and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health) Maine for a 2-part virtual training!

  • Wed., Sept. 22nd, 8:00am – 12:00pm
  • Wed., Sept. 29th, 12:00pm – 3:30pm

It is a great opportunity to safely and economically attend this vitally important curriculum unit. Attendees MUST commit to both sessions. Gatekeeper Training is a pre-requisite, (may be registered in an upcoming workshop). For more Info on Gatekeeper Training access NAMI Maine’s event calendar.

School staff will be prepared to implement suicide prevention lessons through foundational information and engagement in learning content and strategies in the curriculum lessons.

No cost, and materials are provided.

The training will cover the Middle School Stress Management and Suicide Prevention Lessons and Lifelines Lessons.

Register Here

(Registration closes Friday Sept. 17 to allow time to prepare materials.)

Direct questions to Amanda Bouffard, Suicide Prevention Coordinator, (207) 622-5767, ext. 2318.

WEBINAR: Addressing and Preventing Adult Sexual Misconduct in the School Setting

The following course is being provided by U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center.

ADDRESSING AND PREVENTING ADULT SEXUAL MISCONDUCT IN THE SCHOOL SETTING

Duration: 30 to 45 min.

Objective: This course has been designed to help you learn about preventing and addressing adult sexual misconduct (ASM) in the school setting to protect students. When you are finished with this course, you will be able to define ASM; recognize ASM in a school setting, including identification of gray areas; identify when reporting potential ASM in a school setting may be required; and describe the federally recommended six-step planning process for addressing and preventing ASM.

  • Module 1–Understanding Adult Sexual Misconduct (ASM) in Schools
  • Module 2–Recognizing and Reporting ASM
  • Module 3–Integrating ASM Into School Emergency Operations Plans
  • Module 4–Try It! Choose What to Do

Note: Please note that modules may take a while to load depending on your connection speed and signal. Modules must be completed in the order they appear. Once each module has been completed, you can flip through the previous modules and your accompanying notes. You will be able to print a certificate only after all modules are completed.

Take the Course