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.

Maine Department of Education Publishes 30 Day Reported Cases, Outbreaks of COVID-19 in Schools

September 17, 2021
Contact: Kelli Deveaux

1390 reported cases in schools over past 30 days; 52 outbreak investigations

Augusta- Today Maine Department of Education, in partnership with Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services and Center for Disease Control and Prevention, released a dashboard of reported school related cases of COVID-19 for the past 30 days. This new dashboard will incorporate the previously available information on outbreak status. Beginning today, the Department of Education will update the dashboard weekly with reported cases over the past 30 days, by school. Schools for whom an outbreak has been determined will be noted in the dashboard with an orange bar. Schools are listed in the table alphabetically, and the corresponding SAU is included.

The data included in the table reflect cases reported by Maine schools through a case reporting form for school related cases, including staff and students. This is similar to the method used during the 2020-2021 school year. Not all cases submitted by Maine schools have been confirmed by Maine CDC. An outbreak investigation is opened by Maine CDC after detecting three or more epidemiologically linked, confirmed cases among different households during a 14-day period. An outbreak investigation is closed when there has not been a new case associated with the school for 14 days (one incubation period).Community-based transmission continues to drive case rates in schools.

Vaccination remains the best strategy for reducing the transmission of COVID-19. Those who are eligible are urged to get vaccinated to help students learn safely and in-person. Vaccination information and locations can be found on Maine CDC’s Vaccination website.

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Get to Know the Maine DOE: Meet Jon Monroe

Maine DOE team member Jon Monroe is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team. Learn a little more about Jon in this brief question and answer.

What are your roles with DOE?

I’ve been working for several years now as the management analyst for the Maine Department of Education’s Office of School and Student Support (OSSS). What I like about the work is that its scope reflects the broad scope of the work of the OSSS coordinators, and so I usually have some fresh challenges to look forward to. It would also be hard to find a better group of people to work with. OSSS is a collegial, affable, and focused group.

How or why did you decide on this career?

I came to the Maine DOE following a career as a management consultant, working mostly on organizational change and strategy from a marketing angle. But my lifelong interests have been education, history, and democracy/elections. Working with Maine DOE allows me to contribute in a small way as an analyst/problem-solver and to feel like I’m partially repaying a debt to the people I admired as I was making my own way through the educational system.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

Outside of work I try to stay active with hiking, swimming, and basketball (currently on pandemic hiatus with the latter). I usually have some kind of building project going (often related to my wife’s mushroom business) as well as some kind of historical/research interest to pursue. Lately, my son and I have been learning to assemble computers and fix old electronics components. On weekends we’re all usually in Blue Hill visiting with my parents.

Student Career & Degree Exploration Event at Thomas College on 9/30 and 10/28

Thomas College, in partnership with the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Teacher of the Year Association, is hosting two hands-on, experiential career exploration days led by professional faculty and college students.

These career and degree exploration events are open to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who will have the opportunity to select a track and work with Thomas College professors and students to tackle real-world challenges.

The day also includes campus tours, lunch, and Thomas College swag. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

Choose one day to attend:

September 30th
9am – 1:30pm
Thomas College

October 28th
9am – 1:30pm
Thomas College

Students attending can choose from the following tracks:

Future Teachers
Future Business Leaders
Future Tech Innovators
Future Crime Scene Analysts

Note: Thomas College does have some limited funding available to help support transportation to and from campus. Please reach out if you/your school would need this! For more information, please contact admiss@thomas.edu or 207-859-1101.

Register now!

Educational Resources to Help Honor National Hispanic Heritage Month

Today marks the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month which is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15 across the nation. The month is a time to honor Hispanic heritage by celebrating the histories, cultures, languages, and the remarkable contributions of Hispanic people to the fabric of the United States, whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It is also a time to revisit ways to integrate diverse cultural material into education lessons all year long.

Here are some educational resources that can be used by schools to honor, recognize, and teach students about Hispanic heritage:

Library of Congress – Hispanic Heritage Month Website
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) – National Hispanic Heritage Month: Ideas for Teachers
PBS Learning Media – Latino Americans Share Their Experiences
National Museum of American History: Latina/o Heritage Month Collections
PBS Learning Media: Latino Americans Collection
Iowa Women’s Archives – Migration is Beautiful
Scholastic – 17 Books to Celebrate Hispanic and Latine Heritage
The Smithsonian – Latino Center
ReadWriteThink – Latinx Heritage Month begins today
NEA – Hispanic Heritage Month
LA County Library – Chicano Resource Center
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) – Chicano Resource Center
Institute of Mexico, Washington DC – Mexico Cultural Institute

For further resources and information about integrating diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences into classroom lessons, please visit the Maine Department of Education’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage.

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.

RSU 54 Administrative Assistant Appointed Board Chair of National Association of Educational Office Professionals

Vivian Champagne has been an Administrative Assistant in Skowhegan’s RSU #54/MSAD #54 School District. She has been working there since 2005, where she has been part of both high school athletics and adult education.

Vivian is a member of the National Association of Educational Office Professionals (NAEOP), a national association which aims to provide professional growth through leadership, education, achievement, recognition, and networking opportunities for educational office professionals.

As a dedicated member of NAEOP since 2012, and a past president of Maine’s state association, Maine Educational Office Professionals (MAEOP), Vivian recently completed NAEOP’s Professional Standards Program certification program and earned her Certified Educational Office Employee (CEOE) distinction.

“Professional Development is an important piece of my career,” said Vivian. “Searching for new things to learn took me from the state association to the national association which offered the CEOE distinction, which is the only nationally recognized certification program, credentialed for educational office professionals.”

Shortly after obtaining her CEOE, Vivian was appointed by the national president of the NAEOP to serve as Chairman of the 2021-2022 Administrative Council., an honor in which she was installed during this year’s NAEOP Annual Conference in July 2021.

The Administrative Council is comprised of education office professionals who work at the district or central office level, State Department of Education, School Boards Association, or any service unit that serves a number of school districts in a specified area in the state.

“I now represent any NAEOP member who is an administrative assistant that works in the office of education from K-12, college, and state level across the nation,” Vivian explained excitedly.

The one-year appointment will allow Vivian to be the connection between the administrative NAEOP members and the NAEOP board of directors, which she is energized to do through regular communication and workshops. She is looking forward to elaborating and sharing more details during her term.

When not juggling her professional demands, Vivian is dedicated to her family. Happily married for 37 years, she has two adult children and two wonderful twin granddaughters.

To learn more about the NAEOP visit: https://www.naeop.org/

To learn more about the MAEOP visit: https://www.maine-association-educational-office-professional.com/

This article is part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or a story idea, email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Apply for Federal Funds to Support Remote Learning – Application Window 9/28-10/13

The Emergency Connectivity Fund is a $7.17 billion program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to help schools and libraries support remote learning. The Program provides funding to schools and libraries for the reasonable costs of eligible equipment and services that can be provided to students, teachers, and library patrons who lack connected devices, such as laptop or tablet computers, and/or lack broadband access during the pandemic.

Who Is Eligible to Receive Funds Through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program?

Schools, libraries, and consortia of schools and libraries that are eligible for support under the FCC’s E-Rate program, are eligible to request and receive support through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program.
In addition, the Order clarifies that Tribal libraries, which are eligible for support under the Library Services and Technology Act, are also eligible for the Emergency Connectivity Fund.
Schools and libraries eligible for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program do not need to be current E-Rate participants. Eligible entities that have not applied for E-Rate support should be prepared to demonstrate eligibility as a school or library under the Program rules during USAC’s application review.

What Equipment and Services Are Covered by the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program?

The following types of equipment purchased for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons who would otherwise lack sufficient connectivity to engage in remote learning are eligible for support:
- Laptop and tablet computers
- Wi-Fi hotspots
- Modems (including air cards)
- Routers
- Devices that combine a modem and router.
Schools and libraries can also receive funding for commercially available broadband internet service that provides a fixed or mobile broadband connection for off-campus use by students, school staff, or library patrons who would otherwise lack access to connectivity sufficient to engage in remote learning.
In limited circumstances where a school or library can demonstrate that there are no available service options sufficient to support remote learning for its students, school staff, or library patrons, the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program may support the construction of new networks and the equipment needed for datacasting services.
Review the Eligible Services List for additional guidance on the equipment and services eligible for funding under the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program.

How Can Schools or Libraries Apply?

A second ECF application filing window will open on September 28, 2021 and close on October 13, 2021. During this second filing window, eligible schools, libraries, and consortia of eligible schools and libraries can submit requests for funding to purchase eligible equipment and services between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) is the administrator of the ECF Program and will review applications.
Interested schools and libraries can find more information and apply at emergencyconnectivityfund.org
The initial ECF Program application filing window opened on June 29 and closed on August 13.

Apply Now

Resources and Information about Protecting Student Privacy

Federal and state laws regulate the privacy of student education records. These laws apply to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). With this in mind, the Maine DOE has put together a toolkit of links to information, resources, and training for district administrators and school employees to use as a quick reference for information and contacts related to student data privacy.

In addition to having links to information about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other federal and state laws that protect student privacy, there are also training videos, resources and guidance from U.S. DOE about understanding what student privacy is as well as other more in-depth tutorials about everything from virtual learning to integrated data systems.

The toolkit also features state level resources such as the Maine Student Privacy Alliance (MSPA), in addition to more student privacy resources from U.S. DOE, both specifically for district administrators but also for early childhood educators, education technology vendors, parents and students, postsecondary school officials, and researchers.