Alternative Education Training - Endorsement - Association members Tristen Hinkle (Skowhegan) and Tracey Menard (Deering) in conjunction with USM to teach the first course in what we hope is a series of courses for educators to attain an Alternative Education Endorsement. The course, "Engaging Disengaged Learners," is based on the National Alternative Education standards. Please be on the lookout for more information, we will need 12 educators to enroll to make this a success. Alternative Educator of the Year Nominations - We are actively looking for nominations for the AEA's Alternative Educator of the Year award. We feel strongly the unique and impactful work Alternative Educators do to help Maine's most at-risk students succeed deserves to be recognized. We encourage you to please take the time to nominate an individual for this award. Contact Lenny Holmes lholmes@bonnyeagle.org for more information.
Maine Department of Education High School Diploma - Covid 19 Eligibility - In June of 2021 the Maine State Legislature passed LD 325, (Credit to the hard work of our Association on this issue) which addressed the disruption to education that COVID-19 has had on Maine students. The results allow for a student to apply to the Maine Department of Education for a State of Maine Diploma. The COVID-19 provision in statute sunsets on September 1, 2023.
The DOE High School Diploma requires 11 Credits for completion. Please click here for Diploma Information Sheet with FAQ's which helps explain the process. This is critical information for students you may have who are struggling to graduate due to the difficulties from the past two years of the pandemic. The contact person at the DOE is Beth Lambert and can be contacted beth.lambert@ maine.gov - Feel free to reach out to me as well.
AEA of Maine Leadership - The AEA of Maine will begin transitioning to a structure which will be more in line with the bylaws of the Association. We hope to begin the 2022-23 school year with an Executive Director who will stay on in a more permanent role and have annual elections for our Officer positions. We encourage you all to get more involved. We will be sharing more about this later.