Committee approves bill to help young children stay in school
AUGUSTA — A bill sponsored by Sen. Cathy Breen — LD 997, An Act To Promote Social and Emotional Learning and Development For Young Children — was approved by the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee today by a vote of 9-3. The bill was amended to ensure an added level of privacy to children.
“Today’s vote is an encouraging sign that we are finally ready to pass legislation to provide voluntary assistance to teachers and parents in order to keep kids in a positive learning environment,” said Sen. Breen. “Disruptive behavioral issues, which often stem from trouble at home, can result in expulsion. Helping educators and parents manage these disruptions while keeping the child in a safe, healthy place, surrounded by other children, would have an enormous positive effect on everyone involved. I am grateful to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee for seeing the value of this program, and I am hopeful that the full Legislature will follow suit.”
Maine has the second highest rate of preschool student expulsions in the United States. These expulsions can lead to the student missing out on the benefits of school and the evaluations and services that come with it, and can cause significant problems for parents, including employment loss. These factors can perpetuate the child’s behavioral problems. Research has shown that the number one predictor for expulsion from school is previous expulsion.
LD 997 would create a statewide voluntary early childhood consultation program for parents and teachers seeking help with students’ behavior. Child development experts would be available to provide recommendations for managing these children with the objective of keeping them in school. The service would be available to elementary teachers, child care staff, Head Start teachers, and families of children up to age eight.
The amendment to the bill states that no child’s name should be made public at any time in the consultation process. LD 997 now goes to the full Legislature for a series of votes on its passage.
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