Maine Expanding K–12 Cybersecurity Grant in the 2025-2026 School Year; SAUs Must Opt in by June 20

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to announce that the state will continue its participation in the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) for a second year. Building on the success of Year One, this initiative will further strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure across Maine’s public K-12 schools. The multi-year SLCGP provides dedicated resources to help school administrative units (SAU) enhance their cybersecurity infrastructure and preparedness.

Action Required by June 20, 2025

To participate in Year Two, all Maine public K-12 SAUs must complete the Year Two Local Consent Form and Opt-In Survey by June 20, 2025. Opting into the grant does not bind a school to participate but is required for participation.

Eligible SAUs received a notification email on April 30, 2025, with a direct link to the form and survey. The survey can also be accessed here.

Benefits of Participation

Participating SAUs will receive access to no-cost cybersecurity services designed to protect students, staff, and institutional data. These services may include:

Migration support for .gov domains
Cyber incident response planning
Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Security awareness training for staff

Year Two Highlights

Funding Available: $4.35 million in state-allocated funds will support local cybersecurity efforts, with a strong focus on K-12 readiness.
No Cost to SAUs: Services are provided at no cost to participants..

Year One Accomplishments

With broad participation in Year One, Maine achieved several key milestones:

Distributed more than 22,000 cybersecurity training licenses to 122 local entities.
Deployed more than 11,000 MFA keys to strengthen security.
Established statewide governance and planning committees.
Completed comprehensive cybersecurity capability assessments.

These accomplishments have laid the foundation for continued progress in Year Two of the grant program.

Questions?

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact slcybersecurity.grant@maine.gov.

Year One Participating SAUs:

Acton Public Schools
Auburn Public Schools
Bangor Public Schools
Biddeford Public Schools
Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor CSD
Brunswick Public Schools
Calais Public Schools
Cape Elizabeth Public Schools
Community Regional Charter School
Ellsworth Public Schools
Eustis Public Schools
Glenburn Public Schools
Gorham Public Schools
Great Salt Bay CSD
Hancock Public Schools
Jonesport Public Schools
Kittery Public Schools
Lamoine Public Schools
Limestone Public Schools
Lisbon Public Schools
MSAD 27
Madawaska Public Schools
RSU 01 – LKRSU
RSU 02
RSU 03/MSAD 03
RSU 04
RSU 05
RSU 06/MSAD 06
RSU 09
RSU 10
RSU 11/MSAD 11
RSU 14
RSU 16
RSU 17/MSAD 17
RSU 18
RSU 19
RSU 20
RSU 22
RSU 24
RSU 25
RSU 28/MSAD 28
RSU 29/MSAD 29
RSU 33/MSAD 33
RSU 38
RSU 39
RSU 40/MSAD 40
RSU 44/MSAD 44
RSU 45/MSAD 45
RSU 52/MSAD 52
RSU 53/MSAD 53
RSU 55/MSAD 55
RSU 56
RSU 60/MSAD 60
RSU 61/MSAD 61
RSU 68/MSAD 68
RSU 70/MSAD 70
RSU 73
RSU 74/MSAD 74
RSU 78
RSU 83/MSAD 13
Saco Public Schools
South Portland Public Schools
St. George Public Schools
Veazie Public Schools
Wells-Ogunquit CSD
Winthrop Public Schools
Yarmouth Schools
York Public Schools

Maine DOE Hosts Inaugural School Safety & Transportation Conference

From March 10-12, 2025, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Maine School Safety Center (MSSC) hosted the first annual Maine School Safety & Transportation Conference at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. This three-day event brought together transportation administrators, district and building administrators, law enforcement, school health teams, and safety experts to explore effective strategies for maintaining safe and supportive learning environments.

The conference began with an evening networking event, fostering connections among participants from across the state. The following morning, a general session led by the MSSC team set the stage for an in-depth exploration of school safety and transportation topics.

MSSC Assistant Director Jeffery Upton welcomed attendees, emphasizing the significance of hosting a conference tailored to Maine’s unique demographics and geography. Upton highlighted the need for comprehensive, localized strategies that address the state’s distinct challenges.

Following Upton, Bridgette Gilbert, the Maine DOE School Emergency Management Coordinator, stressed the value of tabletop exercises—discussion-based activities that simulate emergency scenarios in a low-stress environment. She provided participants with materials and scenarios to bring back to their schools, helping to refine emergency response plans and identify areas for improvement.

Michelle Legare, Maine DOE School Safety and Security Coordinator, highlighted the importance of law enforcement involvement and discussed considerations before, during, and after an incident.

Maine DOE Transportation Training Coordinator Cheryl Brackett then addressed the critical role of transportation safety, noting the impact of natural and human-made disasters on school transportation systems. She underscored the importance of equipping all school staff with emergency preparedness training.

Maine DOE Restorative Practices Coordinator Stacey Barlow also provided a brief presentation to discuss the importance of using restorative practices following emergencies, focusing on building and maintaining relationships among students and staff.

Audience members contributed valuable insights during the general session, such as the benefit of conducting unscheduled fire or lockdown drills to ensure genuine preparedness. Additionally, the complexities of student cell phone use during emergencies and the need for accurate, timely communication with parents were discussed.

Throughout the remainder of the conference, participants engaged in breakout sessions hosted by partners across Maine and the nation on topics like Behavioral Threat Assessment Management (BTAM), exploitation prevention for students, restorative practices, bomb threat assessment, drug identification and trends, FERPA compliance, bus evacuation procedures, dangerous student behavior prevention and intervention law, Security At First Entry (SAFE) Assessment, emotional intelligence, specialized sessions for school nurses, Transportation Director 101, CDL information session, vaping awareness, and wheelchair securement.

Participants also had the opportunity to attend a Drug and Alcohol Supervisor Certification course held by the Maine Motor Transport Association, enabling them to leave the conference certified to identify the physical, behavioral, speech, and performance indicators of probable alcohol misuse and use of controlled substances.

One standout session highlighted a year-long initiative by the transportation team at MSAD 6, Bonny Eagle. That team has partnered with Maine DOE Social Emotional Intelligence Consultant Kellie D. Bailey to train staff and bus drivers in emotional intelligence, mindfulness practices, and understanding brain science to better address challenging youth behavior.

The initiative aims to cultivate self-awareness and self-regulation and to develop an understanding of these concepts to help with student relationships and student behavior.

“Safety on the bus begins with the person behind the wheel. Having drivers who are best equipped to manage their own responses to the multiple environmental, behavioral, and emotional factors that they encounter daily is essential, as we strive to continue to elevate our [team] and our industry as a whole,” said MSAD 6 Assistant Director Mitzii Smith. “We are excited to be blazing a new trail with this work, as we are the only Transportation Department in the State of Maine to have initiated this collaboration.”

Right to left: Sherri Zulick, MSAD 6 Transportation Trainer; Kellie D. Bailey Maine DOE Consultant; Mitzii Smith, MSAD 6 Transportation Assistant Director; Sarah Marean, MSAD 6 Transportation Director

Check out a video clip of MSAD 6 bus drivers talking about the project.

Attendees left the conference equipped with new tools, strategies, and connections to strengthen school safety and transportation practices statewide. The Maine School Safety & Transportation Conference reaffirmed the collective commitment to creating secure and supportive environments for Maine’s students.

Here is a video of transportation directors and bus drivers being interviewed by Nokomis High School students during the conference, using the Maine DOE Mobile Learning Van.

MSSC plans to host a School Safety & Transportation Conference annually in the late winter/spring.

Anyone working with school safety is encouraged to check out MSSC’s eight-week School Safety Specialist Program. Provided at no cost to Maine schools, the courses are available asynchronously through Eastern Maine Community College and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

To learn more about the MSSC and its services, please visit the MSSC website or reach out directly.

The Maine School Safety Center would like to thank its many partners who had a hand in helping to host the Maine Safety & Transportation Conference:

Maine Emergency Management Agency
U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Maine State Police
Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations
FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces
Husson University
Norway Police Department
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
MaineGeneral Health
Maine Education Association
Maine School Superintendents Association
Maine Information and Analysis Center
Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Maine Motor Transport Association
Drummond Woodsum
OUT Maine
Strategies for Youth
Maine DOE Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education
Maine DOE Office of School and Student Supports
Maine DOE Coordinated School Health

Save-the-Date for Maine School Safety & Transportation Conference

Please join the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Maine School Safety Center for the first School Safety & Transportation Conference from March 10-12, 2025 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine.

This event will bring together educators, transportation professionals, safety experts, and policymakers to discuss and explore innovative strategies, best practices, and emerging technologies to improve school safety and transportation systems.

Why Attend?

Learn from leaders: Gain insights from keynote speakers, panel discussions, and breakout sessions led by experts in school safety and transportation.
Network with peers: Connect with professionals and stakeholders from across Maine to share challenges, solutions, and success stories.

Who Should Attend?

This conference is designed for:

School and district administrators
School board members
Facility directors
Transportation directors and staff
School support staff (e.g., counselors, social workers, nurses, office staff, etc.)
Staff and team leadership
Safety and security personnel, including school safety specialists
Law enforcement and administrators
School resource officers
Juvenile community corrections officers
First responders and local/county EMAs

Please be on the lookout for upcoming communication regarding registration, which opens in mid-January. The first 150 attendees to register will receive a scholarship for registration, meals, and lodging. More information, including a full agenda, speaker lineup, and travel information, is also coming soon.

Let’s work together to create a culture of care and safety in our schools, as well as more efficient transportation systems for our students. We look forward to seeing you in March of 2025!

Maine Celebrates Fourth Anniversary of Revolutionary School Resource Officer Training Program

This summer, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Maine School Safety Center hosted its annual School Resource Officer (SRO) Certification program for a fourth year. This training is a first-of-its-kind program that the State of Maine, along with its many partners and stakeholders, has been building from the ground up since 2021.

SRO training allows SROs to earn a certification or re-certification, based on common standards specific to police officers who work in schools. Maine’s SRO training is special because of its unique curriculum, which centers around the whole child. It is taught by current SROs and educators across Maine, and that provides instant access to mentors and collaborators for those entering the field.

“One of the highlights of having a Maine SRO co-teach each of our classes is that when they are finished, they will know around a dozen SROs in their area who can help them from the start,” Robert Susi, Maine School Safety Center Director, and a former Maine SRO of 30 years, said.

In 2020, the Maine Criminal Justice Academy contacted the Maine DOE to assist with the creation of a Maine SRO program as an alternative to the more-expensive National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) training. At the time, NASRO was the only option for police officers working in Maine schools.

The Maine School Safety Center and the Maine Criminal Justice Academy partnered to offer a training specific to Maine that would be more affordable for districts and local police departments. The goal was to provide programming responsive to the unique needs of Maine schools and students and to help improve the relationship between law enforcement, students, and their families.

“The curriculum had to be developed and then approved by the Board at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy,” said Susi, who has been at the helm of this initiative since the beginning. “The first class of Maine’s SRO training was in the summer of 2021.”

The training itself happens over a two-week period in the summer when participants visit the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro to engage in learning with instructors and presenters who specialize in areas like brain science and development, learning and emotional intelligence, trauma-informed practices, restorative practices, behavioral threat assessment, food insecurity, homelessness and McKinney-Vento policy, foster care, substance abuse, bullying (including cyberbullying), and teen suicide.

“SROs need to learn that they operate in the school as a resource, first and foremost,” Susi said. “This program is unique in that it is taught by a collaboration of Maine resources, with a decided focus on Maine issues and schools.”

“Integrating brain science and emotional intelligence into SRO training is critical for assisting officers with the knowledge and information needed to build trust, connection, and ‘felt safety’ with youth of all ages,” Maine DOE Social Emotional Learning Specialist Kellie Doyle Bailey said. “When officers understand the brain’s stress response and dysregulated nervous system states, they are better equipped to offer co-regulatory, trauma-informed de-escalation strategies.”

Participants also take classes on policymaking, building trust, mentoring, classroom management, responding to school threats, juvenile criminal law, and school emergency management. As SROs complete the training, they engage in group discussions with other SROs and content specialists about complex issues they encounter in their roles.

Maine DOE Behavioral Threat Assessment/Mental Health Coordinator Karen Barnes is a regular presenter at the training. She discusses instances when student distress may manifest in behaviors that indicate movement toward acts of violence.

Karen Barnes

“SROs learn how to recognize signs at the earliest point possible that a student may be on the pathway to violence and connect them with supports and services to remove them from that pathway,” Barnes said.

“Not only are we introducing police officers, who are new to the SRO role, to terms and principles like ‘social emotional learning’ and ‘brain science’; we’re also sharing information on special education laws and topics like threat assessments,” Renee Bernard, an instructor of the program, as well as a long-time SRO and a police detective, said. “These are all relevant topics in our current school climates.”

The Maine DOE Maine School Safety Center and the Maine Criminal Justice Academy do the bulk of the coordinating for this training, but a number of other partners help to make it possible: the Maine DOE Offices of School and Student Supports and Special Services and Inclusive Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the York District Attorney, the Maine Department of Corrections, the Maine Department of Public Safety, Cumberland County Child Advocacy Center, the Maine Information and Analysis Center, and York Hospital. Local school administrators and current SROs also support the training every year by presenting and being available to trainees.

“This program, to me, represents what I think the foundation of police reform should rest on,” Deputy Justin Onofrio, the SRO for RSU 56, said.

A graduate of the program, Onofrio says this training helped him understand how mental health and childhood trauma directly impact behavior and the relevance of that dynamic to SROs and police officers.

“Having this insight into who and what motivates an individual to act in such an unregulated way provides so much in terms of de-escalation,” Onofrio said.

The Maine School Safety Center has incorporated feedback from current SROs and training participants over the years to expand and develop the program to meet Maine’s unique needs. One way they have changed the program is by bringing in current SROs from all backgrounds and regions of the state to help participants feel supported.

Participants who complete this course, as well as a six-month peer mentoring training program, are eligible for the Maine Criminal Justice Academy Certification as an SRO.

Since its inception, this program has trained, certified, and re-certified 68 SROs serving in Maine schools. It has also started to change the landscape of traditional relationships between Maine schools, students, and law enforcement by equipping SROs with the resources, knowledge, and support needed to help prevent school violence and to connect students and families with the support they need to thrive in Maine classrooms.

“If we are all working together toward the same goal, we have a much greater chance of supporting SROs in their roles,” said Barnes.

For more information about the School Resource Officer Certification program, contact Maine DOE Assistant Director of the Maine School Safety Center Jeff Upton at jeffrey.upton@maine.gov.

The Promoting Stronger Connections ECHO© Series Starts This Week: An Opportunity Open to All Maine Educators

The Maine Department of Education invites Maine educators to attend the Promoting Stronger Connections ECHO© series with once-monthly sessions starting on October 9. Made possible by the Bi-Partisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections grant and a statewide Title II funding opportunity, there is no cost to participate in this program, and it is open to all school-based personnel throughout Maine.

Through MCD Global’s partnership as a formal ECHO© hub with the University of New Mexico, participants will experience high-quality ECHO© services that strictly adhere to the evidence-based model, ensuring fidelity and excellence. The ECHO© series provides for problem-solving in real-time, thanks to Maine educators sharing case studies. After each case study, subject-matter experts and participants provide relevant recommendations and immediate answers to pressing issues. The series also features didactic learning opportunities, which are short, focused segments on the most urgent topics affecting Maine’s educators. Participants will leave the individual sessions with implementation tools and strategies to promote mental health and wellness or “Stronger Connections”.

Register here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/e778af70c5234feca95df61019eb799a

Scheduled sessions take place on five selected Wednesdays, starting at 3:30 p.m.

DATE	Topic	Presenter
Oct. 9	Regulation and Classroom Management	Emily Daniels, founder and author of The Regulated Classroom®
Nov. 13	Resilient Systems	Courtney Angelosante, Maine PBIS Coach
Dec. 11	Restorative Practices	Stacey Barlow, Maine DOE Restorative Practices Specialist
Jan. 8	Radical Self-Care and Wellness	Kellie Bailey, Maine DOE Social Emotional Learning Specialist
Feb, 12	Establishing Bi-Directional Empathy	Heather Rockwell, RSU 67 Director of Curriculum and Academic Achievement

The Promoting Stronger Connections ECHO© series creates a virtual learning environment that empowers educators in Maine by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and support necessary to foster resilient learning environments. The program focuses on enhancing educator preparedness and response by equipping them with practical strategies and best practices for managing classroom behaviors, addressing trauma, and responding to crises. The series of sessions will promote emotional and mental well-being by establishing a collaborative network of educators and mental health professionals and offering a forum for presenting de-identified cases for review and recommendations by colleagues and subject matter experts, including Greg Marley, Emily Daniels, Courtney Angelosante, several local superintendents and principals, and Maine DOE specialists.

What our Maine school-based participants are saying about ECHO:

“I am better able to understand the trauma responses that children exhibit at school. I understand that children are often not in control of their own behavior, and they need adults to help them learn the lagging skills.”

“I gained a toolkit of strategies to use with challenging behaviors. We are implementing PBIS in our district, and I feel the ECHO sessions will help me implement that more effectively with students who present challenging behaviors.”

“It helped me remember to connect and consult with others—even across the state. There are people who will help.”

“I became more aware of resources available in the community and gained greater confidence in my abilities to navigate complex situations. Collaborating with a team of experienced colleagues boosted my confidence in my practice.”

This series is made possible thanks to the Bi-Partisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections grant and a statewide Title II funding opportunity. For questions related to the project, contact Julie Smyth, Director of the Office of School and Student Supports, at julie.a.smyth@maine.gov. For questions regarding the ECHO© series, contact Lori Fecteau at lfecteau@mcd.org .

Free Training on How to Identify, Assess & Support Students Who Exhibit Challenging Behaviors

Effective behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) protocols in schools are an indispensable component of maintaining the safety and well-being of students, staff, and the entire school community. Threat assessment is not only about identifying potential threats but also about preventing violence and promoting a supportive environment where individuals feel safe to report concerns.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) School Safety Center offers exclusive Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Training by Navigate360 in partnership with Dr. Dewey Cornell.

This training offers:

Improved Risk Identification: Empower team members with the knowledge and skills to identify and assess early warning signs and risk factors associated with threatening behavior, enabling timely intervention and prevention efforts.
Expanded Expertise: Build expertise within the team by providing specialized training on threat assessment principles, protocols, and nationally recognized practices, empowering members to effectively fulfill their responsibilities with fairness and fidelity.
Proactive Prevention and Intervention Strategies: Equip team members with proactive prevention and intervention strategies, enabling them to identify and address potential threats before they escalate into harm.

Effective CSTAG relies on well-trained multi-disciplinary teams and is compatible with Restorative Practices, positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), and multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). Administrators, social workers, nurses, teachers, special education teams, transportation & facilities professionals, as well as psychologists and behavioral specialists are encouraged to attend.

CSTAG Level 1 training is available at any time to be completed online, individually, in about 3 hours. The 4-hour CSTAG Level 2 training is completed as a team and will be offered monthly via zoom or in-person.

A follow-up CSTAG Level 3 training is available for trained teams who would like a 2-3 hour refresher.

Shorter 60-90 minute modules are available for staff and law enforcement who will not serve on a BTA team but would benefit from understanding the process.

For questions about BTAM in schools, please contact Dr. Karen Barnes (karen.a.barnes@maine.gov). To enroll a multi-disciplinary team for training, Superintendents or designated proxies can contact Rebekah Sousa (Rebekah.Sousa@maine.gov).

RSU 87 Superintendent Describes How His District Trains and Prepares for Emergencies

Mark Turner is the superintendent of RSU 87, which serves the communities of Carmel and Levant, Maine. What he loves most about his job is the time he gets to spend in schools. As a busy district administrator, interacting with staff and students each day is so important because he gets to see the important work they do firsthand.

Along with the many responsibilities that come with being superintendent, Turner shared that it was his concerns about emergency procedures and the district’s ability to deal with struggling students that led him to the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Maine School Safety Center.

Turner is one of many Maine school administrators who have taken the School Safety Specialist course offered by the Maine DOE’s Maine Schools Safety Center (MSSC). The 8-week course is provided asynchronously through Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and helps fulfill State statute Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §1001, sub-§16, which states there must be a “designated employee having oversight regarding school safety.”

“We decided administratively to take part in the CSTAG training model, and I decided to take the School Safety Specialist training to better prepare to lead in an emergency,” said Turner. “The training certainly helped me to better see the big picture and update our safety protocols.”

CSTAG stands for Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines, and it is a comprehensive approach to early identification of students who may be on the pathway to violence by assessing problem behavior and offering interventions before the behavior escalates. CSTAG training is part of the Maine School Safety Center’s larger Maine Safe Schools Initiative.

As part of the CSTAG training, Turner learned about and introduced behavioral threat assessments to RSU 87 teachers and staff members.

“The behavior threat assessments we now use have truly helped us to respond to threats, support victims and aggressors, and create a safer school environment,” explained Turner.

Since Turner took the Safety Specialist training, RSU 87 has also updated its response protocol to the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) model and started a “see something/say something” campaign at its middle schools.

In keeping the RSU 87 school community up to date on these new protocols, the admin team was recently describing their process to a concerned parent when she remarked, “I’m so glad that you guys are so prepared to deal with these situations, I had no idea!”

Turner adds that they also plan to continue using the CSTAG model for behavior threat assessments going forward. He extends a big thank you to the Maine DOE’s Maine School Safety Center for being remarkably supportive throughout these trainings.

The School Safety Specialist course is a program of the Maine DOE’s Maine School Safety Center and is available at no cost to Maine schools. Cohorts start at the beginning of every month and complete in 8 weeks. All work is done asynchronously through Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and takes approximately 20-25 hours to complete.

For more information, visit the Maine DOE website, fill out an interest form, or reach out to Maine DOE School Safety Training Coordinator Wendy Robichaud at Wendy.Robichaud@maine.gov.

Turner Elementary School Principal Shares How She Increased the Feeling of Safety at School

Working with the students is what Kristen Levesque, Principal of Turner Elementary School in MSAD 52, describes as the absolute best part of her job. However, she knows that to successfully reach students meaningfully at school, everyone in the building needs to feel safe.

“I wanted to make sure I was providing students and staff with the best care possible in regard to safety,” said Levesque.

Kristen Levesque is one of the 114 dedicated people working in schools and districts across Maine who have taken the School Safety Specialist course offered by the Maine Department of Education’s Maine Schools Safety Center (MSSC). The course helps fulfill State statute Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §1001, sub-§16 (LD892), which states there must be a “designated employee having oversight regarding school safety.”

After completing the 8-week, asynchronous course in April 2023, Levesque instituted many changes that have had a big impact on the Turner Elementary School community.

One of the most impactful changes has been leading the charge on completing the CSTAG assessments to ensure safety. CSTAG stands for Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines, and it is a comprehensive approach to early identification of students who may be on the pathway to violence by assessing problem behavior and offering interventions before the behavior escalates. CTSAG training is part of the MSSC’s larger Maine Safe School’s Initiative.

“The use of the CSTAG for threat assessments has greatly increased the feeling of safety within the school, and this has been communicated by staff,” Levesque explained.

In addition to the changes she has implemented at the school level, the district has been doing meaningful work with the district safety committee, including work to revise emergency handbooks.

Levesque extends a thank you to all staff in MSAD 52, including Superintendent Cari Medd, Asst. Superintendent Theresa Gillis, School Resource Office Sheriff Ham, and School Technology Director Walter Morris.

For more information, visit the Maine DOE website, fill out an interest form, or reach out to Maine DOE School Safety Training Coordinator Wendy Robichaud at Wendy.Robichaud@maine.gov.

U.S. CDC Guidance for Preventing the Spread of Infections in Schools

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) recently released a press release highlighting Guidance for Preventing Spread of Infections in Schools to Keep Children Healthy and Learning. The full guidance, Preventing Spread of Infections in K-12 Schools, has been provided for consideration in the 2024 – 2025 school year on preventing the spread of infections in schools. US CDC is now providing this guidance to ensure it can be part of back-to-school preparations as plans for the new school year in the fall are being formulated.

The evidence-based strategies included in this guidance include:

Teach and reinforce proper hand washing and respiratory etiquette.
Improve ventilation in schools to promote cleaner air. Schools should consider ventilation enhancements and design when remodeling or constructing new buildings.
Clean, sanitize, and disinfect when appropriate.
Promote vaccinations for students and staff.

When staff or children become ill, there are additional strategies to slow the spread of infectious disease that schools can implement, including:

Have staff and students stay home when they are sick. The guidance makes clear what specific symptoms necessitate staying home.
When applicable, use personal protective equipment (PPE) for school staff caring for sick children.
Hand washing, respiratory etiquette, cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting remain important.

The new guidance recommends updating school emergency operation plans, including infectious disease sections, and establishing and maintaining key partnerships with health departments, local medical systems, and other community health providers. It also complements the recently released CDC Respiratory Virus Guidance. These documents intend to support schools in developing and implementing evidence-based action plans to maintain healthy and safe school environments.

Additional Resources:

Maine CDC has additional free resources on infectious disease prevention that schools can order or download. For more information about airborne and direct-contact diseases, visit the Maine CDC website.

RSU 18 Assistant Superintendent Improves, Expands District Safety Procedures with Help from School Safety Specialist Course

Keith Morin loves watching students grow academically and socially; it’s one of the perks of his very busy job as RSU 18 Assistant Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer. He also loves watching the impact that RSU 18 staff make on students beyond academics, serving as mentors, role models, and sources of guidance and support.

That is why many people find the field of education as fulfilling as they do. And to nurture academic aspirations and cultivate a positive school community, everyone needs to feel safe.

As a school administrator serving the communities of Belgrade, China, Oakland, Rome, and Sidney, Morin knows how incredibly important it is to be knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of education, especially in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing society. That includes school safety.

“My goals in participating in the school safety specialist program are simple; to enhance my skill set in providing guidance to a platform and culture where students and staff feel safe to attend school,” explains Morin.

Morin finished the Maine Department of Education (DOE) School Safety Specialist course in February of 2023 to help him better understand school safety and its complexities. Maine DOE’s Maine School Safety Center offers the 8-week course every month. It is provided asynchronously through Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Since taking the course, RSU 18 has been hosting annual tabletop exercises for its staff, which include scenarios of real events, where they discuss their emergency plans and responses. They are also implementing student support resources such as the Second Step Program, a social emotional learning program, and Netsmartz, an online safety education program, delivered by RSU 18 district social workers and school resource officers.

RSU 18 is also implementing quarterly school safety committee meetings that include staff members from all departments and stakeholder groups, and they are hosting after-action meetings where RSU 18 staff can refine its safety practices.

Morin has also led RSU 18 efforts to expand partnerships with local law enforcement by hiring a third resource officer to build relationships with students and families. He also states that his district has hired a district safety officer to align safety practices before, during, and after school.

“In addition to making safety improvements identified throughout our consistent school safety review, we are now working on enhancing our already strengthened cybersecurity system,” added Morin. “We continue looking to build on our successes and improve areas to provide an academic environment that is safe and enjoyable.”

For more information, visit the Maine DOE website, fill out an interest form, or reach out to Maine DOE School Safety Training Coordinator Wendy Robichaud at Wendy.Robichaud@maine.gov.