An Act Concerning Students Who Experience Educational Disruption Due to Temporary or Permanent Changes Where They Live
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1769
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: ROBERTS, RAFFERTY, BRENNAN, DODGE, MURPHY, SARGENT
Amends: 20-A MRSA §5055

Legislative Document
No. 1769
H.P. 1133
House of Representatives, April 25, 2023
An Act Concerning Students Who Experience Educational 
Disruption Due to Temporary or Permanent Changes Where They 
Live
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative ROBERTS of South Berwick.
Cosponsored by Senator RAFFERTY of York and
Representatives: BRENNAN of Portland, DODGE of Belfast, MURPHY of Scarborough, 
SARGENT of York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §5055 is enacted to read:
§5055.  Keeping Maine Children Connected Program Manager
1.  Position established.  The Keeping Maine Children Connected Program Manager, 
referred to in this section as "the manager," is established within the department to carry 
out responsibilities specified in this section.  
2. Duties. The manager shall develop, train and maintain a statewide network of 
appropriate liaisons, referred to in this section as "the liaison network," to assist children 
experiencing disruption, including, but not limited to, homelessness or unstable residency, 
placement in foster care, hospitalization or placement in a correctional institution. The 
manager shall:
A. Develop, implement and coordinate strategies to ensure that such children and their 
families receive support, guidance and assistance in accessing and navigating 
educational, child welfare, mental health and other services and programs through a 
coordinated and seamless statewide support network; and 
B. Achieve the purposes of paragraph A through the liaison network, which must 
include a coordinated response team across all appropriate state agencies and local 
liaisons in regional state offices, school administrative units, juvenile correctional 
facilities, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, mental health crisis agencies and other 
appropriate entities that provide services useful and relevant to achieving the purposes 
of paragraph A. 
The manager shall work with all appropriate state agencies in carrying out the 
responsibilities of this subsection, including, but not limited to, the Department of Health 
and Human Services, the Department of Corrections and the Children's Cabinet.
3.  Support.  The department shall ensure that the manager has the support and staffing 
services necessary to achieve the purposes of this section and shall coordinate other 
activities and programs of the department relevant to the work of the manager so as to 
maximize the effectiveness of the manager in achieving the purposes of this section.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Keeping Maine Children Connected Program Manager within 
the Department of Education to assist children in crisis or experiencing disruption by 
developing, implementing and coordinating strategies to ensure such children and their 
families receive support, guidance and assistance in accessing and navigating educational, 
child welfare, mental health and other services and programs through a coordinated and 
seamless statewide support network.  The manager is directed to establish, train and 
maintain a statewide network of persons able to achieve this purpose, including a 
coordinated response team across all relevant state agencies and local liaisons in regional 
state offices, school administrative units, juvenile correctional facilities, inpatient 
psychiatric hospitals, mental health crisis agencies and other appropriate entities.  
The department is directed to ensure that the manager has the necessary support and 
staffing services and to coordinate any activities and programs of the department relevant 
to the work of the manager so as to maximize the effectiveness of the manager in achieving 
the purposes of this section.