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MAINE NEWS (Updated 4-29-08) |
CENTRAL MAINE Untreated learning disabilities lead to lives of failure
Kennebec Journal Morning Sentinel
04/12/2008
WATERVILLE -- Failure becomes a way of life for children with learning disabilities, so much so that it constitutes a trauma that shapes their personalities and actions. It can even put those children on a path to incarceration.
That was the resounding message delivered in the morning session of Friday's Learning Disabilities Association of Maine (LDA of Maine) conference at Grandeur Sun Banquet & Conference Center.
"Many fail more by the age of 5," social worker Michael Mitchell said, "then some people do in a lifetime."
Mitchell, the clinical director of Augusta-based Crisis and Counseling Centers, was speaking both of children with learning disabilities and those with either attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
He said the failure such children often experience happens not just at school, but at home and in the community in general, which leaves them with a sense of rejection wherever they turn.
It is hardly surprising then, he said, that children like this get into trouble. Their mindset, he said, is they have nothing to lose if they do something wrong.
Gene Kucinkas Jr., LDA of Maine president, provided the numbers to back this premise earlier in a morning packed with presentations from learning-disability experts and representatives from the corrections field, who deal with learning-disabled inmates on a daily basis.
Thirty-five percent of Maine students identified as "learning disabled" drop out of school, twice the rate of the non-disabled population, Kucinkas said. That percentage is understated, he said, because many dropouts have learning disabilities that are never identified.
Even those who succeed in graduating from high school face hardships. Kucinkas said. Six out of 10 remain unemployed one year after receiving their diplomas.
Brenda Bennett, LDA of Maine executive director, is no stranger to the trauma that learning-disabled children endure. As a parent of a learning-disabled child, as a person with ADD and as a professional on the front lines of the issue, Bennett encounters the phenomenon on a regular basis.
"The biggest calls we are receiving in the office," she said, "are from young adults who tried to go to college and dropped out because they don't have the basic skills they needed, so then they try to get a job and can't get one... so they get depressed and alcohol and drug abuse follow."
Understanding this relationship between failure, trauma and incarceration is essential to helping the learning disabled, presenters at the conference said.
The reality is much of the current prison population in Maine are people with learning disabilities or attention disorders.
Ellis King, a planning analyst for the Maine Department of Corrections, said the department realizes this situation and is taking steps to better address the problem.
"We have seen a need for training our staff as far as working with people with learning disabilities," he said, "and this is both inmates and among our staff."
Marietta Crocker, program manager of Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset, is aware of the large learning-disabled population in her facility.
Crocker said of 12 new inmates she took in one day, seven would have qualified for special-education services.
The trouble is Crocker must rely on volunteers from adult education organizations in the area to provide those services. She has no full-time educational staff.
"There are barriers to offering special-education services," she said. "It's not because we don't want to (offer them)."
Colin Hickey -- 861-9205
Comments about: (If you would like to add a comment, please e-mail it to info@ldame.org.) Thanks.
CENTRAL MAINE Untreated learning disabilities lead to lives of failure
WATERVILLE -- Failure becomes a way of life for children with learning disabilities, so much so that it constitutes...
Reader comments 1-8 of 8 comments:
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Lamont of Augusta, ME Apr 12, 2008 2:51 AM
Ever try to deal with a school department with a child that has LD?
They try to find every excuse in the book as to why they cannot offer any special help to these kids.
Most parents are told that it is too expensive. This article was well written, and true to form. Good job. Wake up school leaders and administrators.....
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Brian of West Gardiner, ME Apr 12, 2008 7:30 AM
Sounds like more education 'job security' to me!
Just more un-needed programs. Kick the kid in the butt and tell him/her to buckle down!
More reason all kids need to do summer labor on a agricultural farm to learn lifes skill parents are to dumb to teach!
Never...Ever...elect a democrat!
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Jerry Nault of Windsor, ME Apr 12, 2008 7:37 AM
The article seems to point to a root cause which put many inmates in the correctional system behind bars. Their learning disabilities led them to lead lives which ran afoul of the law and into jail.
How curious that it's taken state and national correctional officials this long to make this startling discovery. Armed with is revelation, how long will it be before there's a meaningful and effective approach to deal with the problem.
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Mystery Curious in Maine of Waterville, ME Apr 12, 2008 8:22 AM
At 5 years old my daughter was tested and put into special education class, apart from normal classmates. With kids of similar disabilities, not only did she learn from her mistakes, but from theirs as well. Also, supervision was minimal and neglect made everyday matters even worse, as she got in trouble repeatedly. I've been homeschooling her, ever since. She's now 14 and still has problems every day, but they're her problems, except for what she picks up on TV teen shows, and in Teen magazines. Even with close supervision and guidance, role modeling and education, her understanding is limited. Her perception is questionable, and dealing with it is very hard to cope with and difficult to manage. It takes a strong personality to bring up someone with LD's and efforts are often a lesson in futility. Expectations are seldom met. I worry about her going out into the world once she becomes of legal age. By then, her problems will be out of my hands, and her interactions within society will be scrutinized and misunderstood. I'm not sure she'll become a productive member of any work force and/or be able to earn her living. I adopted her when she was 8 months old, after being born to a heroin addict mother. As a drug-baby, I blame her troubles on being born toxic.
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FRANCO of RICHMOND, ME Apr 12, 2008 8:36 AM
mystery...your doing your best...having a daughter with problems we face the same problems… i hear you loud and clear.
a group what to send my daughter to some work group over the summer..
i asked the group if they even met her…they haven't so i asked them what do you expect her to do...in the end i told them to hit the road...they wanted to sign her up so THEY could get $1100 funding money ..well they closed up shop in Richmond...
point here is some people just do it for the money and some groups do it to help children with a LD.
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Nonny1 of Gainesville, FL Apr 12, 2008 9:32 AM
Below is the link to the website for the Association for the Learning Disabled of Maine. It has info that includes legislative (state & national) updates.
It's TOO EASY to say that just because someone has a learning disability s/he will end up committing a crime. As a reading teacher (high school level), the vast majority of the kids I taught had learning disabilities and MOST never committed crimes. The factor that determined that (in my opinion...based on experience in the field, personal observation, training and talks with the students and families) WAS THE FAMILY.
REGARDLESS OF DISABILITY (and income level), if the child was raised in a close, strong family and given love, time, structure and guidance S/HE turned out just fine. In MOST cases, apples do not fall far from trees. Sadly, some children do try drugs with their peers and become addicted and their lives take a different turn, but USUALLY it takes much more than a learning disability to send a child on the wrong path...
http://www.ldame.org/aboutus.html.
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jdtex of Austin, TX Apr 12, 2008 4:01 PM
The sympathetic academic types are always trying to make excuses for bad behavior. Some kids (and parents) are just human debris, and fear of punishment is the best bet for a cure.
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anameutrust of Hallowell, ME Apr 12, 2008 4:40 PM
jd,
glad you are now jdtex.
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Message to Maine: “A Perfect Storm Threatens Maine Health Care System”
by U.S. Representative Tom Allen, 1st Congressional District of Maine
A multitude of federal cuts are poised to simultaneously strike Maine’s health care system at the worst possible time. With the economy in decline, fuel and food prices soaring, and State revenues sinking, these blows will hurt all Mainers who need health care, not just those who depend upon Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor.
Consider the case of a child with special needs in a Head Start program. Because of recent changes in the Medicaid program, this child may no longer be provided help in gaining access to medical, dental and other services he needs to stay healthy and thrive. When his condition worsens and he must have care, his parents are likely to take him to the hospital emergency room, where costs are much higher; as an uninsured patient, his costs will be passed on to insured patients.
Or think about the fate of an elderly person with Alzheimer’s disease. Right now, she is able to live at home because her family cares for her. The family brings her to an adult day care program for several hours a day each week so they can continue to work and take care of other family needs. Because this service would end, she likely will wind up in a nursing home—at great cost to taxpayers and emotional devastation to her and her family.
Budget cuts to health care programs are being considered in both Washington and Augusta. But the unkindest, most deceptive of all of the pending cuts are those which derive from Bush Administration’s new Medicaid regulation changes. They will lead to a massive withdrawal of federal support for critical health services. In Maine, for every dollar the State now spends on a Medicaid service, the federal government contributes three dollars. The State has a difficult choice to make: replace the lost federal funding with state dollars, or let the people who desperately need these services go without. Maine is already grappling with a large deficit in its state budget, making the first option even more of a challenge.
The Administration’s regulations would reverse long-standing federal policies by making many rehabilitative health services ineligible for matching federal Medicaid funds. Funding for case management (which links beneficiaries to medical, educational, housing and other services, especially for people transitioning from institutions to the community) would also be severely restricted. These cuts will directly affect our most vulnerable residents—individuals with severe disabilities and mental illness, Alzheimer’s disease or retardation, children in foster care, adults in nursing homes, and others. The new regulations also would end Medicaid support for graduate medical education and support for school nurses and other school personnel when they help eligible children enroll in Medicaid or coordinate their health care services. Indirectly, the costs will affect all of us.
The new regulations were proposed last year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) without public or congressional input, approval or debate, and without assessing how the rules will affect the states. Accordingly, in January, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform asked Medicaid directors in every state to estimate their resulting loss of federal payments. The states estimated that the regulations would reduce federal payments to them by nearly $50 billion over the next five years. That total did not include the many states (including Maine) that expect huge losses but were unable to quantify the federal revenue loss.
The Medicaid targeted case management rule went into effect on March 3. Congress has delayed implementation of some of the changes, and I have cosponsored legislation to delay or repeal many of these regulations. On March 14, a bipartisan bill was introduced to place a one year moratorium on seven Medicaid regulations including Medicaid payment for targeted case management services, rehabilitation services, school-based transportation and outreach services, governmental providers, provider taxes, and hospital outpatient services. I will work to build support for this effort.
These regulatory changes would have a devastating impact on society’s most fragile populations. They would also undercut the financial stability of providers, hospitals and clinics that all Americans depend upon. The regulations are a hasty, backdoor effort to unilaterally revise Medicaid law in ways that violate Congress’ intent and which could ruin the lives of millions of Americans.
Mainers take care of their neighbors and don’t let the most vulnerable among us suffer. You can be assured that when these matters are considered, I will vigorously advocate for our values. Any significant changes to our health care system must be fully considered by Congress and the American people before they are implemented.
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SAD 17 may lose $450K in next year
By Leslie H. Dixon, Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
OXFORD - SAD 17 stands to lose as much as $450,000 over the next fiscal year under new Medicaid regulation changes, Special Education Director Marcye Gray told school board members Monday night. That will affect services for special needs children.
"Needless to say it is extraordinarily worrisome," Gray said.
SAD 17 provides 470 children with special needs services.
The federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services plans to adopt five rule changes that eliminate federal money that has supported health care services for the elderly, people with developmental disabilities, school-age children and people with mental illnesses.
For SAD 17 and others, the new regulations would impact federal reimbursement for special education services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, mental health services and some transportation costs for children going to therapeutic programs.
"It has an extraordinary impact for our children with disabilities and their families all the way from birth up," Gray said.
The total fiscal impact to the state general fund for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 is $45 million, according to information from the state Department of Education. The total fiscal impact to communities, including nonprofit providers and schools, is $141 million.
Gray said it is unclear now how the regulations will play out, but there is discussion on the state level about shifting some of the lost revenue from another account.
"But we don't know where the state will make that (money loss) up," Gray said.
Although a two-year moratorium was supposed to have been enacted, President George Bush vetoed that moratorium, and unless the Senate votes to override it, school districts are faced with the consequences as early as March 1.
If the district must absorb the loss, Gray told directors it likely means a reduction in programming or the cost will have to be picked up in town budgets.
Under the current situation, the district will have to absorb about $40,000 by March 1 in this year's budget with the remaining $400,000 coming out of the next year's budget that starts July 1.
Budget Committee members, who thought they had two years to deal with the situation, will now have to plan for the loss quickly.
"The bottom line is we're still required to provide the services," Gray said.
In a statement last week, Department of Education Commissioner Susan Gendron also expressed her concern about the situation, saying "Federal law rightly requires schools to provide rehabilitation services, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy, that are necessary for students with special needs to be able to access an appropriate education. In fact, federal law even requires us to maximize all revenue sources, including the federal government, to make those services available. Now we are being told that Medicaid will no longer fund some of those services that are required."
Superintendent Mark Eastman said as the situation changes he will keep the board apprised.
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N E W S R E L E A S E
Maine Department of Education, Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 4, 2008
Contact: David Connerty-Marin, 624-6880/831-3313
Maine Writing Scores Show Improvement
National eighth-grade assessment reflects higher performance in writing
AUGUSTA – Maine eighth-graders’ writing scores on a national writing test improved significantly in 2007 compared to previous years. Thirty-nine percent of the students performed at or above the proficient level, compared to 36 percent in 2002 and 32 percent in 1998. Nationally 31 percent performed at or above the proficient level in 2007.
Maine was one of 45 states and 10 urban districts to voluntarily participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To measure their writing skills, the assessment engaged students in narrative, informative, and persuasive writing tasks.
The percentage of students in Maine performing below the basic level dropped from 13 percent in 1998 to 10 percent in 2007. Nationally 13 percent of eighth graders performed below the basic level.
The average score in Maine was 161 compared to a national average score of 154. In 1998 the average score in Maine was 155. The changes are statistically significant, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, which reported the results.
“We are very pleased with the significant increase in writing scores,” Maine Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron said. She said the scores reflect a concerted effort at all levels to implement Maine’s Learning Results standards in writing.
“Teachers, especially, are doing excellent work in the field,” she said.
The eighth-grade writing scores may also reflect the influence of laptops in middle school classrooms. Maine’s nation-leading 1-to-1 laptop program was credited in an October 2007 report with improving writing scores for middle school students. The report by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern Maine concluded that MEA writing scores improved significantly from 2000 to 2005 and that a direct connection could be made to the introduction of laptops to every middle school student in 2002. That study can be found at: http://www.usm.maine.edu/cepare..
Still, Gendron said the credit should not be given to laptops alone.
“Laptops and training alone do not lead to improved writing,” Gendron said. “It takes school districts that embrace the use of technology as an educational tool, and it takes teachers who are willing to use the technology creatively in the classroom to see the kind of progress we are seeing.”
“We can’t say that laptops are the reason for the higher scores, but they are clearly a part,” Gendron said. “The improved scores are the result of efforts in several areas and by all parties – students, teachers, administrators, state efforts, and others.”
Not all of the news was good. Boys continue to lag behind girls by 25 points, almost the same as in 1998; and economically disadvantaged students still performed noticeably below students overall – by 17 points.
“We are not making progress in closing those gaps,” Gendron said. “We must continue to look at how we can improve writing performance by boys and by students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. We are not serving all our students when some groups fall behind.”
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Maine Department of Health and Human Services
Brenda M. Harvey, Commissioner
Maine Department of Education
Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner
– NEWS RELEASE –
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 30, 2008
Contact:
John Martins, DHHS, 287-5012/ 557-1474
David Connerty-Marin, 624-6880/831-3313
Major Changes to Federal Medicaid Rules Hit
State, Local and School Budgets and Providers
Some Federal cuts to be implemented 12 months earlier than anticipated
AUGUSTA – The federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services plans to adopt five rule changes that eliminate federal dollars that have supported healthcare services for the elderly, persons with developmental disabilities, school-aged children and persons with mental illness.
These are programs that were approved and supported by federal Medicaid funds in the past. Some of the programs, such as services to special education students from birth to age 20, are services that another federal law requires to be provided. The changes affect all states and give states little time to react.
A moratorium on the in-depth rule that narrows the scope of services matched by federal funds was supposed to be enacted when President George W. Bush signed SCHIP legislation. The moratorium would have lasted 18 months, into the next biennium. Since the bill was vetoed, implementation has moved forward a full year, leaving all states little time to adjust. President Bush made his third and final veto on Dec. 29.
The two state agencies hit hardest in Maine, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, are taking a two-pronged approach to the rules changes. They are simultaneously working with Governor Baldacci, the Congressional delegation and other states to oppose the federal changes, and working with providers and school systems to seek ideas for restructuring programs to keep delivering what are essential services to those who receive them.
Health and Human Services Commissioner Brenda M. Harvey and Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron outlined the impacts of the recently announced changes in a briefing to reporters on Wednesday in the Cross State Office Building in Augusta and will brief school systems and providers on Thursday.
The total fiscal impact to the state general fund for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 is $45 million. The total fiscal impact to communities, including to non-profit providers and schools is $141 million.
“Case management services for many individuals, including children in our child protective system, adults receiving protective services, probation and parole, public guardianship and special education will no longer be eligible for federal repayment,” Harvey said. “In the area of Rehabilitation Services, many services that were covered will no longer receive federal Medicaid funds. In many cases, these changes will affect people with the highest needs.”
“Federal law rightly requires schools to provide rehabilitation services, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy, that are necessary for students with special needs to be able to access an appropriate education,” Gendron said. “In fact, federal law even requires us to maximize all revenue sources, including the federal government, to make those services available. Now we are being told that Medicaid will no longer fund some of those services that are required.”
Harvey and Gendron will present detailed information to providers, including school districts, via the state’s distance learning videoconferencing network on Thursday afternoon. Staff from DHHS or DOE will be present at many of the sites to take feedback and suggestions on ways to restructure services to respond to the federal cuts in a way that maintains the maximum possible delivery of services to those who need them. Providers and school systems interested in viewing the videoconference can get information about locations online at: www.maine.gov/education/medicaid.html. The Department will also post additional information about the changes, including a fact sheet and PowerPoint presentation.
Substantive Changes in Federal Medicaid Rules and Anticipated Impact
Summary: The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services has announced five rule changes that eliminate federal dollars that have supported healthcare services for the elderly, persons with developmental disabilities, school-aged children and persons with mental illness, all of whom are Maine’s poorest citizens.
These are programs that were approved and supported by the Medicaid federal funds in the past. The areas affected and implementation dates are:
- Targeted Case Management (TCM) – effective March 1, 2008
Case managers coordinate access to needed medical, social, educational and other services to Medicaid members living in the community. Activities that are integral to the administration of another non-medical program are no longer eligible for federal financial participation. This provision specifically excludes case management services provided by child welfare/child protective services; probation and parole; public guardianship and special education.
2. Rehabilitation Services - effective July 1, 2008
These services are diverse and designed to assist individuals to improve their health and functional abilities. Services include a wide range of therapies that assist people with disabilities or illness of all ages. A moratorium on this in-depth rule that narrows the scope of services matched by federal funds was supposed to be enacted when President George W. Bush signed SCHIP legislation. The moratorium would have lasted 18 months, into the next biennium. Since the bill was vetoed, implementation has moved forward a full year, leaving all states little time to adjust. President Bush made his third and final veto on Dec. 29.
3. Hospital Outpatient Physicians Services – effective July 1, 2008
Hospital-based physician services will be impacted by the rule change which states that only one fee schedule can be used to reimburse physicians. Currently, hospital-based physicians are paid at a higher reimbursement.
4. Administrative/Transportation Services - effective February 26, 2008
This rule change disallows federal financial participation for school-based administrative activities and for transportation of school-age students to and from school.
5. Certified Public Expenditure (CPE or “Certified Seed”) – effective May 25, 2008
This rule change impacts those who raise ‘seed money’ to secure matching federal funds. This will no longer be allowed, as seed money must now come from either a “governmental unit or an instrumentality of the state.”
Significant Areas of Financial Impact - Targeted Case Management and Rehabilitation Services
Department/Program |
Loss to General Fund |
Loss to Community |
|
FY ’08 FY ‘09 |
FY ’08 FY ‘09 |
Targeted Case Management |
|
|
Education |
$733,000 $2,200,000 |
$133,000 $400,000 |
Corrections |
$280,000 $720,000 |
|
Headstart/Home Visitation Fund |
$1,080,000 $3,240,000 |
|
DHHS |
$4,850,000 $14,550,000 |
$5,240,000 $15,720,000 |
Rehabilitation Services |
|
|
Education – school-based |
$7,400,000 |
$19,600,000 |
Education – developmental therapy required by IDEA |
$10,000,000 |
|
DHHS |
|
$100,000,000 |
|
|
|
TOTAL |
$6,943,000 $38,110,000 |
$5,373,000 $135,720,000 |
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The Case for Consolidation
Saturday, January 05, 2008 - Bangor Daily News
A report by the Maine Children's Alliance helpfully points out that there are educational, as well as financial, benefits to school consolidation. The idea that reducing administrative costs would free up some money to spend in the classroom has been overshadowed by criticism of the mechanics of the consolidation plan approved by lawmakers last year. As the alliance notes, the mechanics can and should be smoothed which the Department of Education and Legislature are already doing but those working on local consolidation can't let obstacles cloud the benefits that will come from their work.
For example, the alliance says that many regional planning committees are hung up on the fact that districts that are considering consolidation pay differing teacher salaries. Districts with lower salaries assume they will have to pay more, therefore negating the savings from consolidation. This is only part of the picture, the report points out.
Since school enrollments have been declining for years, many districts have struggled with how to keep teachers employed. Creating larger districts will create more flexibility to move teachers to classrooms and subject areas where they are most needed. The result likely will be fewer teachers statewide, however, they will be better paid, which should contribute to higher teaching standards.
Focusing on teaching and learning, not solely finances, was a major factor in the completion of the state's only approved new school district, designated RSU 1. "Every time we got away from education, there was trouble. Whenever we got back to educational excellence, we could agree," said James Omo, a Bath councilor.
The same day the Children's Alliance released its report, the Legislature's Prosperity Committee unanimously voted to look for cuts, worth $75 million, in state government. As it examines the state budget, expect it to come to the conclusion the state's K-12 system, which accounts for about a third of the state's annual expenditures, is not sustainable.
According to figures from Education Week, a national publication about K-12 education, growth in per pupil spending in Maine has far outpaced the national average in the last decade. In 1995, the U.S. average per pupil expenditure was $5,541. Maine's was $5,623. By 2005, the national average had risen to $8,973, while Maine's average per student expenditure had ballooned to $10,539, according to Education Week.
A large reason for Maine's increase is that the number of school-aged students has steadily declined while the number of administrators serving them has not.
In a state that ranks 38th nationally in terms of income, such high education costs are not affordable. Gov. John Baldacci and legislators have reached this conclusion, but many local school boards and residents have not.
Understanding economic reality is a necessary first step. The second is to decide what to do about it. Since importing thousands of kids isn't realistic, reducing costs is the only option.
Rather than investing so much time and effort in opposing consolidation, opponents must consider what other realistic alternatives exist and compare them against the benefits of consolidation. They'll likely reach the same conclusion as Elinor Goldberg, president of the Maine Children's Alliance: "Consolidation is a goal that has to be reached in order to improve the quality of education and contain taxes."
Pine Tree Camp Increase Capacity
Applications for the 2008 season are now available
Pine Tree Camp is pleased to announce the addition of a third camping session for children with physical and developmental disabilities. This means there are 90 more openings for campers between the ages of eight and 18.
Pine Tree Camp has been providing a traditional summer camp experience to Maine children and adults with disabilities since 1945. This special place is fully adapted to meet the special needs of each individual camper.
Applications can be downloaded on Pine Tree Society's website, www.pinetreesociety.org. You may also request an application by calling 443-3341.
For more information about Pine Tree Camp, please visit www.pinetreesociety.org or call (207) 443-3341.
MAINE VOICES Every child needs a blood test for lead
A pending bill would require such a test before any child could enter kindergarten.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=156704&ac=PHedi
Rep. Gary Connor December 20, 2007
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rep. Gary Connor
(RepGary.Connor@legislature.maine.gov)
of Kennebunk is a Democrat who represents Arundel, Dayton and portions of Lyman and Kennebunk.
— With the holiday season upon us, my wife and I are among
many parents dutifully heading to the store to buy gifts for our
six young children. As we recently worked our way through the
toy aisle, I kept remembering headline after headline about
massive recalls of toys laden with lead paint.
While the most common way for children to be lead poisoned is
from lead paint found in and around the home, we are now
learning that toys we previously thought to be safe in fact are
not. The risks are changing, and we need to respond
accordingly.
Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that
doctors provide medical intervention when the amount of lead in
a child's blood reaches or exceeds 10 micrograms per deciliter.
However, a recent report by the CDC reveals that a child's
development can be impaired by any level of lead in their blood.
For example, studies show that at just 5 micrograms of lead per
deciliter of blood, babies in the womb will have a decreased IQ
through age 10.
Several years ago, the state of Maine took an important step
toward addressing the problem of childhood lead exposure. In
the Lead Poisoning Control Act, the state established a goal to
eradicate childhood lead poisoning by the year 2010 through
the elimination of potential sources of environmental lead.
The program requires that children get tested for blood lead
levels at 1 and 2 years of age unless the primary medical care
provider determines that a child is not at risk by performing a
risk assessment.
Here's the problem: Maine's lead risk screening questionnaire
only assesses environment-specific risk factors. The four
questions that comprise Maine's standard risk evaluation
include:
1) Does your child live in, or visit more than 10 hours per week,
any house built before 1950?
2) Does your child live in, or visit for more than 10 hours per
week, any house built before 1978 that was renovated or
remodeled within the last 6 months?
3) Does your child spend time with an adult whose job is in
construction, painting or fishing?
4) Is your child enrolled in MaineCare?
As Maine's questionnaire demonstrates, typical risk assessments
do not take into account other pervasive sources of lead
exposure, like lead-laden toys.
Those toys know no demographic boundary. They are in old and
new houses alike, being played with and chewed on by children
of all socioeconomic backgrounds. And there are still unsafe
toys on the shelves without any warnings attached.
Recent reports from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and
healthytoys.org reveal there are still toys on the market with 50
to 500 times the legal limit of lead. Visit www.cpsc.gov/
cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html for recalls.
One of the most important questions to ask now is, "Does your
child play with toys and does he or she have a mouth?"
Since the federal government and toy manufacturers cannot
guarantee the supply chain of the toys on shelves, it is not
within the means of medical providers to determine that you're
child is risk free if he or she plays with toys.
For this reason, I have submitted a bill for the upcoming
legislative session requiring that proof of a blood lead level test
be included in the vaccination records submitted when a child
registers for kindergarten.
If the child has not yet had the test, one must be performed
prior to entry into kindergarten. This bill would be instrumental
in helping Maine achieve its goal of eradicating childhood lead
poisoning.
I wish I had a better holiday message, but with more accurate
diagnosis and treatment of lead poisoning, I am hopeful that our
children's future will be merrier and brighter.
— Special to the Press Herald
Copyright © 2008 Blethen Maine Newspapers
Lead test should not be a condition for kindergarten
Lead poisoning is a serious problem, but keeping kids out of school will not fix it.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=156899&ac=PHedi
December 21, 2007
— A well-intentioned piece of legislation has been submitted to
help fight lead poisoning among children.
While the aim is worthwhile, the mechanism is flawed, and the
bill should be considerably revised before it becomes law.
Rep. Gary Connor, D-Kennebunk, has proposed adding proof of
a blood test for lead poisoning to the list of conditions required
for entering kindergarten, along with proof of immunization.
Connor rightly points out that lead poisoning is a major public
health problem that can have serious long-term impact on a
child's development. However, unlike the infectious diseases
that require vaccinations, it is not contagious.
There are solid reasons for keeping children out of school who
might carry diseases like diphtheria or measles. Those same
issues are not presented by children who have been exposed to
lead, however.
Connor points out flaws with the current law that may prevent
children from getting lead tests.
Health-care providers determine which children should get a
lead test by using a questionnaire that probes their exposure to
old houses, where lead paint is most likely to be found.
Recent studies have revealed, however, that imported toys can
also be a source of lead, and children who play with them can be
poisoned, regardless of how old their house is.
So that more children are tested for lead exposure, some
questions should be added to the form. If that requires a change
in the law, then that would be a good target for the Legislature's
attention.
But statutes designed to prevent the spread of infectious
diseases should not be amended to make parents have their
children tested for lead, even though most of us aggree that's
what they should do.
Copyright © 2008 Blethen Maine Newspapers
Merging special-ed services may work for some, not others. Five school districts have already formed a program, and consolidation may persuade others to try it.
By BETH QUIMBY, Staff Writer October 18, 2007
GORHAM — Last year, public school students from Limington
who needed special services traveled more than an hour by bus
to private schools in Portland and South Portland.
This fall, they're attending school closer to home, in Gorham, as
part of a new special-education program housed in what was an
empty school building. The five school districts that joined to
form the Sebago Educational Alliance Day Treatment Program
hope it will lower costs for special-education programs.
The joint venture by Windham, Westbrook, Raymond, Gorham
and School Administrative District 6 – which serves Buxton,
Hollis, Limington, Standish and Frye Island – was planned long
before the Legislature passed the school district consolidation
law in June.
"We were looking for something better for kids, at a better cost,"
said Linda Powell, director of special education services in
Windham.
STATE AID TO BE ADJUSTED
More school districts might find themselves forming similar
programs to save money to meet the requirements of the
consolidation law, which includes special education as an area in
which school districts must cut costs.
The law is aimed at reducing school administration costs by
merging the state's 290 school districts into about 80 new
districts. Starting July 1, 2008, state funding for special
education, facilities management and transportation will be cut
by 5 percent, and school administration funding will be cut in
half.
Education Commissioner Susan Gendron said Wednesday that
not all districts will have to cut their special-education spending
by 5 percent, as originally projected.
Because of better reporting procedures and a drop in special-
education enrollment, the state will be able to adjust state aid
for special education to districts based on enrollment decreases
and increases.
But school administrators remain concerned about the potential
effect of the law on their programs.
Lynda Green, superintendent in SAD 57, said any fine-tuning
that the state can make in the district's special-education
allocation is appreciated. But the money is not enough to cover
the cost of special education in her district, which serves Alfred,
Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, Shapleigh and Waterboro.
"Our costs are quite a bit higher" than what the district receives
from the state, she said.
CHALLENGE FOR RURAL DISTRICTS
Maine has one of the nation's highest percentages of students in
special-education programs. Nineteen percent of the state's
204,000 students were enrolled in special education in
2004-05, the last school year for which data are available from
the National Center for Education Statistics. That was second
only to Rhode Island's 20 percent.
Those students need special services because of learning
disabilities such as autism, deafness or mental retardation. They
may be educated in regular classrooms, in special classrooms
and other public and private schools, institutions or hospitals.
Maine's special-education costs rose 48 percent, when adjusted
for inflation, from 1996 to 2006. Overall education costs rose 26
percent in that period.
Last year, the state's taxpayers spent $282 million on special
education, about 15 percent of the total spent on public
education, compared with nearly 13 percent of all education
spending 10 years ago.
Carrie Thurston, president of the Maine Administrators of
Services for Children with Disabilities and the special education
director for SAD 3, said sprawling districts such as hers will be
hard-pressed to make any cuts if their state aid is reduced.
Thurston is the only special-education administrator in her
district, which encompasses 450 square miles between
Waterville and Bangor.
"For me to drive from one school to another takes an hour," she
said.
Most of the eight schools in her district have one special-
education teacher.
She said it is impractical to try to cut costs by rotating them
between schools. They would spend several hours each day
driving between schools, and have less time to teach.
Cathy Dionne, program director for the Autism Society of Maine
and the mother of an autistic child, said her group is already
concerned about the impact that the required 5 percent cut in
transportation will have on special-education children. Her son
now rides on a school bus every day from their home in Greene
to the Margaret Murphy Center, a private day-treatment
program in Auburn.
"So will I get double whammied?" she asked.
COSTS OF CONSOLIDATION
Whatever happens with funding next year, some educators and
advocates say consolidating school districts and special-
education services will improve services and save money.
Powell, the special-education director in Windham, said it is not
unusual for a student who needs to attend a school out of the
district to spend more than two hours a day in transit, time that
could be better spent.
There are costs involved to consolidate, Powell said. The first
year's budget for the Sebago program is $390,000, which
provides staffing for as many as 10 students.
She said it is still too soon to calculate the savings, which will
depend on how many students come into the program. Seven
students are now enrolled.
The program has plenty of room to grow at the former Little
Falls School in Gorham.
If high school students were added, the program could serve as
many as 20 students, said Jennifer Searway, program director.
Phillip Potenziano, co-director of special services for SAD 6, said
his district now sends 17 students to programs around southern
Maine. The tuition bill alone will be about $616,000 this year.
He said that if the Sebago Alliance program becomes available
for high school students, many SAD 6 students will be able to go
there, cutting their commute time and transportation costs in
half.
"We will save money, not just on our transportation side but on
our tuition side," he said.
Brenda Bennett, executive director of the Maine Disabilities
Association, a statewide group that helps children and parents,
said she welcomes school district consolidation if it means more
special-education services will be available to allow more
students to stay in their local schools.
She said there has been much discussion by educators about
saving money, but not a lot of actual progress.
"Sometimes you've just got to bite the bullet and do this. You
can talk about it forever," she said.
Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:
bquimby@pressherald.com
Copyright © 2007 Blethen Maine Newspapers
Maine to phrase out flame retardant State House: The Senate joins the House in limiting deca BDE, despite the manufacturer's warnings.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD, May 25, 2007
By JOHN RICHARDSON, Staff Writer
The Legislature has voted to phase out a common flame retardant
chemical used in televisions and other household products
sold in Maine.
The Maine Senate voted 29-5 in favor of the proposal Thursday.
The Maine House unanimously approved it May 16.
If the bill is signed as expected by Gov. John Baldacci,
Maine would be one of the first states in the nation to restrict
a chemical known as deca BDE. Washington state passed a similar
measure last month.
Deca is used in some television casings and other electronics
to prevent fires. Manufacturers have reportedly considered
using it in mattresses and furniture as well.
It also escapes into the environment and has been found in
household dust, in human breast milk and in the bodies of
a growing list of wildlife. Researchers, including scientists
in Maine, have reported that the chemical affects young mice,
causing delayed motor skill development, hyperactivity and
other things.
The bill, An Act to Protect Pregnant Women and Children from
Toxic Chemicals Released into the Home, bans the use of chemical
in mattresses and furniture on Jan. 1, 2008 and phases out
its use in televisions and other plastic-cased electronics
by Jan. 1, 2010.
Maine's Department of Environmental Protection assured lawmakers
that companies make alternative chemicals that are equally
effective at preventing fires and do not present the same
threat to public health and wildlife.
Chemical manufacturers fought against the bill in television
and newspaper advertisements that suggested the law would
increase the risk of dangerous fires.
Maine firefighters and the state Fire Marshal's Office backed
the bill, however, and criticized the manufacturers for scare
tactics.
Passage of the bill was a top priority for a coalition of
public health and environmental organizations known as The
Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine.
DOE Releases List of High School Progress
N E W S R E L E A S E
Maine Department of Education, Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Thursday, April 26, 2007
Contact:
David Connerty-Marin, 624-6880/831-3313
(Communications)
Rachelle Tome, 624-6705
(NCLB Accountability and School Improvement)
DOE Releases List of High School Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress assessment shows areas
of success and need for improvement
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Education released the list of Maine
public high schools not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) today, as required
by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The 2006-2007 AYP status of Maine high
schools was determined by the results of the 2006 administration of the SAT to
all third year public high school students in Maine.
2006 was the first year that
the SAT reasoning test was used as the state high school assessment for NCLB.
Previously
the grade 11 MEA was used as the state
assessment for this purpose. It is important to note that for this year’s
reporting Maine used only one year of assessment data because of the use of
the new test. Previously, years two years of data were used.
To achieve AYP status, each school must meet the proficiency
target for the whole school and for five subgroups, including
American Indian/Alaskan Native,
African
American/Black, economically disadvantaged, limited English proficient,
and students with disabilities. To make AYP, the students
in the five subgroups,
as well as
the whole school, must achieve targets in both reading and math.
In addition, the whole group and all subgroups with 41
students or more must have 95 percent participation in the
testing for the school to make
AYP.
The target for reading was 50 percent of students being determined “proficient” (meeting
or exceeding the standards); in math it was 20 percent. If any one of the subgroups
does not reach the target in either content area, the school does not make AYP.
In the first year, the school would go on “monitor” status and if
it does not meet the target a second year in a row, it goes to “Continuous
Improvement Priority School” status. Schools with less than 20 students
in a subgroup are not included in the review for that subgroup.
The 2005-06 results would normally have been released last
fall, but because of the shift to the SAT and a federal review
of that test’s use as a
high school assessment, the AYP results were delayed. We anticipate that the
AYP report
for the 2007 administration of the SAT will be released prior to the opening
of school in the fall of 2007.
The AYP results show:
•
Thirty-six of the state’s 118 public high schools made AYP for both reading
and math;
• Nineteen schools did not make AYP for the first time;
• Another 51 high schools were designated CIPS;
• One school previously identified as a CIPS school achieved its targets
in the 2005-06 testing, but must do so for two years in a row in order to be
designated
as making AYP.
Eleven schools have too few students to receive an AYP
designation based on the single year’s test scores and will be designated after the 2006-07
test results are analyzed, later this year.
Achieving the reading target was, by far, more challenging
to high schools than achieving the math target. Of the 70
schools that did
not make AYP,
none made
AYP in reading; 21 did not make AYP for math and reading.
Education Commissioner Susan Gendron said the results provide
vital information for high schools about which student populations
are
not performing to
targets, and the number of schools not reaching the targets shows
the need for action
on high school reform.
The results cannot be compared to last year’s because the SAT reasoning
test was used in place of the MEA as the high school assessment for the first
time and the scores are not comparable.
In previous years, a school might still make AYP if it
missed a target through a “safe harbor” provision if the school could show that the number
of proficient students increased by 10 percent. That provision was not available
in the 2005-6 testing year because the SAT scores could not be compared to the
previous year’s scores to measure improvement. All schools will be required
to meet 100 percent proficiency in whole group and all subgroups by 2014 under
current federal law, though there are some efforts in Congress to make adjustments.
“
The failure of many schools to meet the required targets is consistent with our
position that schools are not meeting standards for all sub groups and that more
work is necessary to bring all students to a higher level of achievement,” Gendron
said. “The data gathered in the AYP process is extremely beneficial in
helping schools to develop strategies for addressing academic achievement.”
Gendron noted that school districts and the Department
of Education have been working to promote curriculum reforms
in high schools
to better
prepare students
for college, career and citizenship, including the commissioning
of a study last year to examine why Maine’s test scores, once the highest in the nation,
have remained flat while other states’ scores have climbed.
“
That is why we are moving on reforming high school curriculum over the next few
years, and have been partnering with educators on the development of those reforms,” Gendron
said. “The use of the SAT in place of the MEA is part of that reform
and is already showing signs of success, with anecdotal stories of students
who were
not considering college now seeing themselves as possible college material.
“
We want every graduating student in the state to see him or herself as having
the ability to go to a college or other post-secondary education, and to give
it strong consideration,” Gendron said. “Even if not immediately
after high school, students should see that as an option at some point.”
High School AYP results for 2005-06
www.maine.gov/education/pressreleases/ayp/fy2007/0607grade11.rtf
For information on how AYP is determined, see the AYP Fact
Sheet at http://www.maine.gov/education/nclb/AdequateYearlyProgress.pdf
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