Lewiston Middle School: Students will see strict cellphone ban

LEWISTON — Lewiston Middle School students this year will be barred from using cellphones during school hours to curb negative social-media postings.


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Cheverus High School cancels all activities today following threat

An employee received an email about a threat to the school over the weekend, according to a school official.

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15 Years Later, Maine’s ‘One Laptop Per Child’ Initiative Hasn’t Helped Test Scores

When the Internet and digital tools first rose into popular consciousness, one major concern was that the barriers to access them would create a “digital divide” between rich and poor. Those with access to expensive new technology, the thinking went, would rocket ahead of those without it.

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Ex-Westbrook High track coach who admitted having sex with student found dead

The body of Timothy Even, 28, of Stoneham was found Friday in his car in Lovell, an apparent suicide, Maine State Police say.

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Gov. LePage calls teachers 'a dime a dozen'

PITTSFIELD, Maine (AP) — Maine Gov. Paul LePage has criticized traditional education during the unveiling of a new vocational school, describing classroom teachers as "a dime a dozen."

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Portland, ME school district: White teachers need not apply

Ninety-seven percent of teachers in Portland Public Schools are white, and forty percent of students are not.

And that’s a problem for Superintendent Xavier Botana, the Bangor Daily News reports.

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Parents Reach Settlement With District Over Head-Bagging

READFIELD, Maine - The parents of a Maine elementary school student who filed a lawsuit claiming a teacher put a bag on the student's head several times have reached a proposed settlement.

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Educators, Advocates Fear New Standards Could Keep Students With Disabilities From Graduating

Educators and advocates are speaking out about proposed changes to Maine’s law on proficiency-based diplomas. At a public hearing on Monday, they said new rules proposed by the state Department of Education may violate federal law and could keep many students with disabilities from graduating.

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Long Creek youth correctional facility to get new superintendent

The Maine Department of Corrections has hired a new superintendent for Long Creek Youth Development Center.

Corrections Commissioner Dr. Joseph Fitzpatrick confirmed that the agency has hired Caroline Raymond, CEO of Day One, a nonprofit substance abuse and behavioral health treatment organization for adolescents based in South Portland, to be the next leader of the state’s only youth correctional facility.

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Mental health centers are calling the cops on their own juvenile patients

A new study by Disability Rights Maine has found that organizations paid by taxpayers to help juveniles with mental health crises frequently call the cops on the young people in their care, sometimes passing responsibility for mentally ill teenagers over to the state’s law enforcement and corrections officials.


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Maine turns blind eye to child abuse

Guess what isn't safe in Maine ladies...

Maine's legislature failed to protect little girls from a horrible mutilation practice, so the bill's sponsor now is focusing on the governor's office in hopes of reviving it. 

State Representative Heather Sirocki tried to get a bill passed to criminalize female genital mutilation practiced by part of the state's population. Although it was tossed between both houses, the bill failed to pass by the end of the session. 

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As session ends, Legislature overrides LePage veto, raising legal age for tobacco to 21

AUGUSTA — Mainers will still be able to talk on their cellphones while driving but won’t be able buy cigarettes until they turn 21 after the Legislature on Wednesday sustained one of Gov. Paul LePage’s vetoes and overturned another.

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