MEDIA RELEASE: Call to Action for Maine Parents: Complete the Meal Benefit Application at School This Year – Even if School Meals are Free

Maine needs all parents and caregivers to take action this school year––by taking the time to complete the confidential Meal Benefit Application through your local school, even if school meals are already free for all students. Families, schools, communities, and our state can greatly benefit from the data that is gathered from the application, and this application is important for a number of reasons.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, when school meals became complementary, there has been a significant drop in Meal Benefit Application returns––meaning less families are filling out the application.

The family income data provided by the application informs key funding for school resources. This includes school meal reimbursements, funding for Title I programs, funding and resources for after school programs, funding provided to schools from the Maine State Legislature for essential programs and services at school, funding for special education, teacher loan forgiveness, and much, much more!

Federal and state government use the aggregate data from the application to distribute education funding to schools across the county and state of Maine. In other words, if there is no data to inform the needs of the community, it could result in less education funding for your local district and for Maine.

By completing the Meal Benefit Application, you are directly investing in your child’s education and the children and families in your community.

Specific programs that are funded by the data collected from Meal Benefit Application:

Title 1 schools
Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding allocated directly to Maine Schools through the Maine Department of Education (State funding)
Before/After School Programs
Summer School Programs
Special academic programming, and grant opportunities initiated by the Maine Department of Education (DOE)
Teacher student loan forgiveness

How can I complete the Meal Benefit Application? The application is available through your local school administrative unit (SAU) school nutrition program and it is completely confidential. Most SAUs have the application available to be completed online. Follow this link to access your SAU’s online application (if your school district is not listed, please contact them directly). A printed version of the application is also required to be available––it will often be part of beginning of year paperwork that comes home with your child.

This past school year has certainly had its challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are thrilled that, despite these challenges, all Maine children have had the opportunity to access free healthy school meals on a daily basis. We would like to extend our gratitude to Maine parents and caregivers who have participated in their SAUs’ meal programs. We know that with the continued support of Maine’s incredible families, we can ensure the best for our children.

SAVE THE DATE: School Resource Officer Summit Aug 10th & 11th

Save the date for the School Resource Officer (SRO) Summit offered both in-person at Windham High School and virtually online. This opportunity is a collaboration between the Maine Department of Education’s Maine School Safety Center, the Maine Department of Corrections, Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, and Restorative Justice Project Maine.

The summit will be held from 9:00am – 4:30pm on August 10th and 11th (doors open at 8:15am for check-in). Coffee and pastries will be served as well as a lunch for in-person participants. This opportunity is available to Maine school resource officers as well as district and school administrators, staff, and educators.

Key Note Addresses:

August 10th – Restorative Justice Board: A Showcase of Options for Thinking about RJ and Community Impact

August 11th – Lt. Carlos Camacho, Nashua, NH Police Department

Breakout Topics:

Racial Disparity & Equality
MOUs
EOPs
Social Emotional Learning
Behavioral Threat Assessment
Adverse Childhood Experiences 101 &102
Effective Police Interactions with Youth /Mirror Mirror Project

Registration link and further information will be forthcoming for both in person and virtual options.

Download the SAVE THE DATE flyer here.

For further questions, contact the Maine School Safety Center.

Promoting Public Pre-K Through Partnerships—A Technical Assistance Series

The Early Learning Team at the Maine Department of Education (DOE), in partnership with Governor Mills’ Children’s Cabinet, is pleased to announce a new technical assistance opportunity focused on building Public Pre-K and Community Partnerships. This 3-part series will focus on partnerships between public school administration units (SAUs) and community providers, such as private center and home-based childcares and Head Start programs. The series will:

Explore the benefits of partnering,
Examine common misconceptions about partnerships,
Identify successful steps for navigating potential barriers of partnerships, and;
Outline how to start the process of forming partnerships to establish high-quality Public Pre-K opportunities for children in Maine.

These sessions will be approximately 60 minutes each, with 45-minutes of content followed by time for questions from attendees. The sessions will be provided through Zoom and will be recorded and posted for future viewing.

Sessions are scheduled as follows:

Session 1, Wednesday August 4th from 12-1pm: Overview of High-Quality Partnerships
Session 2, Wednesday August 11th from 12-1pm: Panel Discussion with Experts in the Field Currently Engaged in Community Partnerships
Session 3, Wednesday August 18th from 12-1pm: Building a Partnership: Where to Begin

Attendees are asked to pre-register here.

For questions and clarifications, please contact:

Early Childhood Specialist: Nicole.madore@maine.gov
State Head Start Collaboration Director: Nena.m.cunningham@maine.gov
Early Childhood Monitor: Marcy.r.whitcomb@maine.gov

WAVES Summer Camp Esports Week: Calling All Maine Teens!

You may have heard from us back in June about WAVES Virtual Summer Camp. Since then we’ve connected with PlayVS, a safe online platform already being used by existing Maine school-based E-sports teams! We’ve adapted our E-sports week programming so Maine teens can join exciting E-sports tournaments, called July Jam, which PlayVS is hosting July 13, 14 and 15. We are eager to connect teens across Maine to prep and practice and then engage in the tournaments. Maine teens can hop onto the PlayVS platform this summer as individuals. It’s sort of like summer ball! Registration deadline for PlayVS July Jam is July 11. Check out PlayVS July Jam and register if you’re interested!

League of Legends and Rocket League are the games offered for PlayVS July Jam and the practice sessions. You are welcome to join practices and/or July Jam, whatever works for you! Practices will be hosted by esteemed E-sports coach Frank Rapp (Brewer School District). All programming is offered July 13, 14 and 15. Maine Teens’ Prep and Practice are fun and informal. The schedule is as follows:

Offering	Time	Practice Link
Rocket League	12:00-1:00	Rocket League with Maine teens here!
League of Legends	1:00-2:00	League of Legends with Maine teens here!

PlayVS’s July Jam Esports Tournaments will occur on the same days, July 13, 14 and 15, during these times:

Rocket League: 3:30

League of Legends: 4:00

Maine teens are welcome to participate in any and all offerings. Remember, to be a part of July Jam, teens must register by July 11 here: PlayVS July Jam.

Again, make sure you enroll by July 11 if you’d like to be a part of the tournament. You are welcome to join practices with Maine teens regardless, but we don’t want you to miss the deadline if you’d like to be a part of this safe and exciting E-sports tournament, which is open to interested teens nation-wide!

Educators are welcome and encouraged to incorporate WAVES Summer Camp into their students’ summer programming. Please do not hesitate to reach out to WAVES Project Director Sarah Woog (sarah.woog@maine.gov) to get involved.

Stay tuned for WAVES Virtual Summer Camp Weeks 2, 3, and 4- Design Thinking, Communicating for Impact, and Arts Weeks! And encourage your teen students to register here for WAVES Virtual Summer Camp and email updates.

Priority Notice: Public Comment Period for Rulemaking Required in Response to P.L. 2019, Ch. 154 Now Open

10-144 CMR, Chapter 261: Immunization Requirements for School Children (DHHS) / 05-071 CMR, Chapter 126: Immunization Requirements for School Children (DOE)

BRIEF SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services – Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (DHHS) and the Maine Department of Education (DOE) are jointly proposing these routine technical rule changes to implement P. L. 2019, Ch. 154: An Act to Protect Maine Children and Students from Preventable Disease by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing Immunization Requirements (the “Act”)

The proposed rules can be reviewed, here.

The Act prohibits the rule from including any provision governing medical exemptions and repeals the exemption from required immunization for school students who object, based solely on a sincere religious belief or philosophical reason, effective September 1, 2021, with exemptions for certain students.

Those students who may have declined immunizations based on religious or philosophical objection and are otherwise not eligible for exemptions permitted under Maine’s immunization laws, including those attending elementary or secondary schools for pre-kindergarten instruction, will be subject to current immunization requirements for the certain specified diseases. This rule proposes to require schools to include in their annual report any stricter immunization requirements that may be adopted by ordinance or policy, in addition to the immunization status of all students, including immune students, exempt and non-immunized excluded students.

Additionally, these proposed rule changes include new and revised definitions; add a vaccine schedule for pre-kindergarten students; clarify existing authority and responsibility to dismiss or exclude a child from school when there is a public health threat (20-A MRS § 6301; 22 MRS ch. 250); and clarify superintendent and school authority and responsibility. Finally, changes are proposed to the format of the rule for conformity with Maine CDC rulemaking standards.

As required by law, a public hearing for the proposed rule will be held as a Virtual Public Hearing on July 26, 2021 at 9:00 am, and can be accessed, here.
Meeting ID: 864 0432 7981
Passcode: XeNRq!D2

Comments may be submitted to DOE Legislative Affairs Team member Jaci Holmes, State House Station #23, Augusta, Maine 04333; 207-831-3168 or jaci.holmes@maine.gov `until 5:00 pm August 5, 2021.

Maine DOE Update – July 2, 2021

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Maine DOE Child Nutrition Launches CNPWeb for School Year 2022

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Child Nutrition is excited to announce that we are moving over to a new program, CNPWeb, which will replace NEO for all School Nutrition functions. | More

Maine DOE Data Management Systems Summer Training 2021-2022

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Data Team will be holding their annual summer trainings during the last two weeks of July. The focus this year will be on tips and resources to assist School Administrative Units (SAUs) with data reporting and with viewing/certifying reports. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Maine DOE and Teens to Trails Partner to Increase Outdoor Opportunities for Maine Teens; Schools Can Apply NOW

Through a new partnership between the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Teens to Trails, schools serving teens are encouraged to apply for $500-$1500 which includes training and start-up support for school-based outing clubs. | More

Upcoming Lead Testing: Fall 2021

During the 129th Legislative Session LD 153 was passed, requiring that all school drinking and cooking water fixtures be tested for lead. The rules responsive to this statute were passed in a resolve of the current legislative session, LD 206 An Act to Strengthen Lead Testing in Maine Schools. In accordance with the resolve, a pilot program will be launched this summer and eventually be rolled out to all schools during the 2021-2022 school year.  | More

June Wabanaki Conference Pays Tribute to 20th Anniversary of LD 291

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) hosted close to 100 educators on Saturday, June 12th for a morning-long virtual recognition event that paid tribute to the 20th anniversary of the signing of LD 291, a requirement for the teaching of Wabanaki history and culture in Maine classrooms. | More

EMCC, MCCS, and Maine DOE Celebrate 88 “Badguates” in Inaugural Cohort of Learning Facilitator Program

Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC), in partnership with the Maine Community College System (MCCS) and the Maine Department of Education (DOE), held a “Badguation” ceremony on June 23rd for the first class of Learning Facilitator Program completers, or “Badguates.” | More

Eight Semifinalists Selected for 2022 Teacher of the Year

The Maine Department of Education, in partnership with Educate Maine, is pleased to announce the eight teachers that have been selected as semifinalists for Maine’s 2022 Teacher of the Year program. | More

Get to know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Barbara Pineau

Maine DOE team member Barbara (Barb) Pineau is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Barb in the question and answer | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

Opportunity for Aspiring Mentors: Mentor Training Registration Open

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is committed to supporting the growth and development of educators aspiring to be mentors. Over the past three years, the Maine DOE has collaborated with teacher leaders, administrators, and higher education partners to customize Maine’s mentor resources. | More

Invitation to Apply: Application Open for Maine’s Transformational Leaders’ Network

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) invites school principals to apply for an inspiring professional learning opportunity. The Transformational Leaders’ Network (TLN) offers Maine principals an opportunity to deepen their leadership skills while they are leading transformational efforts in their schools. | More

Invitation to Education Leaders to Apply NOW for Maine’s Leadership Development Program

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) invites educators to apply for a year-long professional learning opportunity. The Maine Leadership Development Program (LDP) is an initiative designed to build and strengthen leadership skills among Maine’s educational leaders. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here

School Renovation Funding Available

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is accepting applications to receive funding for school renovation projects through the School Revolving Renovation Fund (SRRF). The application deadline is October 29, 2021.

The Maine DOE will be able to approve approximately $45 million in SRRF loans. A portion of each loan will be considered a grant and will be forgiven. The remaining portion will be paid back over either five or ten years with no interest. The maximum loan amount is limited to $1 million per school building per priority in any five-year period.

Applications for “Priority One” and “Priority Two” projects will be accepted. Eligible Priority One projects will receive funding preference over Priority Two projects.

Priority One projects include indoor air quality improvement, structural roof repair, hazardous material abatement or removal, ADA compliance upgrades, and other health, safety and compliance renovations.
Priority Two SRRF projects include school building structures, windows and doors, and water and septic systems.

The SRRF 2022 application and additional information are available on the Maine DOE’s SRRF website. For more information or technical assistance, contact Ann Pinnette at (207) 624-6885 or email ann.pinnette@maine.gov.

Upcoming Lead Testing: Fall 2021

In accordance with the resolve, a pilot program will be launched this summer and eventually be rolled out to all schools during the 2021-2022 school year and beyond.

All schools will either need to work with their local water professional or use the provided training materials to identify water sampling locations, collect water samples, coordinate with the designated laboratory, report results, and follow up with plans/procedures/actions based on the sampling results. Schools should designate someone for this responsibility.

Watch for future correspondence from the Maine Drinking Water Program including more detailed information and instructions including webinars. For more information, please visit the Maine Drinking Water Program website at www.medwp.com/schools.html

In the meantime, if you have specific questions about the program, you can contact the Drinking Water Program at 207-287-2070.

June Wabanaki Conference Pays Tribute to 20th Anniversary of LD 291

“While we understand that there is still a lot of work to be done, it was important to recognize that 20 years ago this important legislation was signed,” said Joe Schmidt, Maine DOE Coordinator of Secondary Learning and Social Studies Specialist. Schmidt helped plan the June conference. “We carefully planned this event to both look to the past, recognizing how we got here, and to the present and future by providing meaningful resources to support relevant, robust, and inclusive education for our students here in Maine.”

The conference opened with a video message from Governor Janet T. Mills, remarks from Maine Commissioner of Education Pender Makin, and a keynote by LD 291 legislative sponsor, Honorable Donna Loring and featured three strands of virtual, synchronous professional learning opportunities:

Opening Remarks:	Video Message from Governor Mills View Message	Commissioner Makin & Honorable Donna Loring View Recording
Strand 1 – Wabanaki People and Culture:	Intro to MicMac Language Presenter: John Dennis View Recording	Maine Indian Policy History, Racism, and the Future of Wabanaki Tribal Sovereignty Presenter: Darren Ranco View Recording	Wabanaki Diplomacy and LD 291: Storying Protocols as Political Will Presenter: Nolan Altvater View Recording
Strand 2 – Classroom Resources:	Wabanaki Stories in Your Secondary Classroom Presenter: Margo Lukens & Ashton Carmichael View Recording	Wabanaki Studies in the Elementary classroom Presenter: Brianne & Kaya Lolar View Recording	Resources to extend knowledge of Wabanaki Culture and History Presenter: Melanie Brown View Recording
Strand 3 – Decolonization:	Towards Decolonizing Education: Settler Colonialism and Empire Building in the Classroom Presenter: Starr Kelly View Recording	Equity, Decolonization, Anti-Racism and Wabanaki Studies: Portland Public Schools’ Journey to Fulfill the 2001 Wabanaki Studies Law Presenter: Fiona Hopper View Recording	Decolonial Mirrors & Shifting the Gaze to Anti-Racist Education Presenter: Rebecca Sockbeson View Recording

Further resources from each of the presentations are available on the 2021 Wabanaki Conference webpage. The webpage also features a video message from Senator Angus King recognizing the importance the 20th anniversary of L.D. 291 and the integration of Wabanaki history and culture in Maine education.

The Maine DOE has also recently collaborated with UMaine and other state organizations on a grant to support enhanced access, utilization of Wabanaki resources and provided interactive workshops hosted by Wabanaki REACH, in addition to many other professional learning opportunities offered by Department specialists and partners throughout the past several years to assist and support schools across Maine in understanding L.D. 291 and integrating Wabanaki culture and history into education programming.

Further Wabanaki education resources and contacts can be found on the Maine Department of Education Maine Native Studies Resources webpage

We look forward to working with schools, tribes, and education partners throughout Maine to expand these important efforts. For more information or to make a connection with the Maine DOE, reach out to Joe Schmidt at Joe.Schmidt@maine.gov.

EMCC, MCCS, and Maine DOE Celebrate 88 “Badguates” in Inaugural Cohort of Learning Facilitator Program

In a response to critical staff shortages in Maine schools as a result of the pandemic, Governor Mills created additional flexibilities and opportunities for educators in Executive Order #7, which enabled the Maine DOE, MCCS, and EMCC to collaborate on a high quality, fast-track training program for paraprofessional level educators to expand, strengthen, and support our excellent educator workforce.

“This is emergency response at its finest, but this is also innovation at its finest where a real problem, a critical issue was presented, and everybody came to the fore to make it happen,” said Commissioner Makin during her remarks at the ceremony.

The Badguation ceremony honored the Learning Facilitators, many of whom were present during the virtual event, and featured a video message from Governor Janet Mills and remarks from EMCC faculty, EMCC President Dr. Lisa Larson, MCCS President David Daigler, Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin, and DOE Representatives.

“You participated in a new model, a new way of thinking, and learning, and leading together,” said EMCC President Lisa Larson during her opening remarks. “You’ve earned credits and credentials, and along the way you also gained some new friends and colleagues.”

“You’re not only the first, you’re also a part of building the future of our economy and you’re core to families being able to find new successes as opportunities unveil themselves through this new, ever-changing economy,” MCCS President David Daigler said to the graduates in his remarks.

“While many people were reeling and pulling inward and saying, ‘I’m just going to try to stay safe and ride this out,’ you ran into the fire like first responders. You said, ‘yep, sign me up! I’m going to go take those courses, I am going to get into this credentialing program, and I’m going to help our schools,’” added Commissioner Makin in her remarks.

The event also featured a short video showcasing written messages from program participants who shared sentiments on how they changed in positive ways throughout the program. Here are a few:

“I am happy to say I learned that if I put my mind to it then I will do it. I really wanted to learn how to write a lesson plan for my students and I did. It took a few tries before I got there, but I did.”

“I am excited to take what I have learned and apply it to the areas of my teaching. I can observe a student and know what I am looking for, I can be a better co-teacher.”

“I don’t think you will ever be able to measure the success of this program as it will continue to have a positive impact for many, many years to come.”

Offered at no cost to the participants, the Learning Facilitator Program is completed in two phases in one academic year with the ongoing support of Eastern Maine Community College faculty. Upon completion of a 3-credit “boot camp” course in phase one of the program, participants have the foundational skills necessary to fill short-and long-term substitute educator roles, as well as all paraprofessional positions. In phase two, participants engage in a combination of online work and professional learning community meetings, as well as a 315-hour structured teaching apprenticeship. When they complete the program, participants are eligible for an emergency Education Technician authorization which allows them to be employed as an Education Technician III.

For more information related to the program, please visit the EMCC website, here.

Watch the 34 minute virtual ceremony on EMCC’s YouTube Channel: