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Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff
As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
1. Repealed. Laws 2015, c. 329, § A-4, eff. July 12, 2015.
1-A. Academic programming agreement. “Academic programming agreement” means an agreement between an interim program and a responsible school through which the responsible school agrees to accept the academic programming, credits and documentation of achievement of standards completed by a student in the interim program.
1-B. Community provider. “Community provider” means a governmental or nongovernmental entity that provides services to students or families, including but not limited to temporary and permanent housing, case management, immigration and language services and social, behavioral health, occupational training and legal services.
2. Department of Education diploma. “Department of Education diploma” means a diploma awarded under section 257-A.
2-A. Education disruption. “Education disruption” means disruption of the educational program of an elementary or secondary school student as a result of:
A. Homelessness, foster care placement or another housing disruption;
B. Absence for more than 10% of the school days in a school year due to unforeseen circumstances, including, but not limited to, placement in an interim program, unplanned hospitalization or serious medical condition;
C. Enrollment in 2 or more schools or educational programs during the student's secondary school education; or
D. The student's being an immigrant student or a migrant student.
“Education disruption” does not include an absence for 10 or more consecutive school days as a result of a planned absence for a reason such as a family event or a medical absence for a planned hospitalization or recovery or pursuant to a superintendent's determination developed in accordance with section 5205, subsection 2.
2-B. Foster care placement. “Foster care placement” means placement of a child in substitute 24-hour care for children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the child placing agency has placement and care responsibility, including, but not limited to, placement in a family foster home, foster home of a relative, group home, emergency shelter, residential facility, child care institution or preadoptive home. For the purposes of this subsection, a placement is a foster care placement regardless of whether the foster care facility is licensed and payments are made by the State or a tribal or local agency for the care of the child, whether adoption subsidy payments are being made prior to the finalization of an adoption or whether there is federal matching of any payments that are made.
2-C. Immigrant student. “Immigrant student” means a student who was not born in any state or territory of the United States, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and has not attended one or more schools in any one or more states or territories for more than 3 full academic years in the aggregate.
3. Repealed. Laws 2015, c. 329, § A-4, eff. July 12, 2015.
3-A. Interim program. “Interim program” means:
A. A youth development center;
B. A hospital or other facility for the purpose of unplanned medical or psychiatric treatment; or
C. Any other program or school approved by the department, except a program or school in which a student is placed pursuant to an individual education plan or a superintendent transfer under section 5205.
4. Learning results. “Learning results” means the system of learning results established pursuant to section 6209.
4-A. Migrant student. “Migrant student” means a student who has been identified as a migratory child by the United States Department of Education's migrant education program with a certificate of eligibility pursuant to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 United States Code, Chapter 70, Subchapter 1, Part C and related regulations.
5. Repealed. Laws 2015, c. 329, § A-4, eff. July 12, 2015.
5-A. Responsible school. “Responsible school” means the school responsible for developing or updating a school work recognition plan.
6. School work recognition plan. “School work recognition plan” means a written document, developed and updated in collaboration among the responsible school, the student, the student's parents or guardians, previous schools the student attended, interim programs the student attended and other relevant agencies, that outlines how a student who is experiencing, or who has experienced, an education disruption is making and is demonstrating progress toward achievement of learning results. A school work recognition plan includes but is not limited to:
A. A summary of the student's achievement relative to the appropriate learning results;
B. A compilation of full and partial credits and other achievement recognitions earned;
C. An identification of any gaps between the student's achievement and the achievement typical of the student's same-age peers; and
D. A plan for maximizing the student's progress and closing identified gaps.
7. Repealed. Laws 2015, c. 329, § A-4, eff. July 12, 2015.
8. Repealed. Laws 2015, c. 329, § A-4, eff. July 12, 2015.
9. Repealed. Laws 2013, c. 439, § 12, eff. Aug. 1, 2014.
10. Student. “Student” means an elementary school or secondary school student.
11. Student experiencing homelessness. “Student experiencing homelessness” means a student who has been identified by a school administrative unit as a homeless child or youth as defined in the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, 42 United States Code, Chapter 119.
Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A. Education § 5161. Definitions - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/me/title-20-a-education/me-rev-st-tit-20-a-sect-5161/
FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.
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