An Act to Establish the Upper St. John Valley Recovery High School
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1753
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: DAIGLE, MOORE

Legislative Document
No. 1753
H.P. 1171
House of Representatives, April 22, 2025
An Act to Establish the Upper St. John Valley Recovery High School 
Program
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative DAIGLE of Fort Kent.  (BY REQUEST)
Cosponsored by Senator MOORE of Washington and
Representatives: DEBRITO of Waterville, GRIFFIN of Levant, JAVNER of Chester, 
LEMELIN of Chelsea, TUELL of East Machias.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA c. 335 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 335
UPPER ST. JOHN VALLEY RECOVERY HIGH SCHOOL PILOT PROGRAM
§9931.  Upper St. John Valley Recovery High School Pilot Program
The department shall establish the Upper St. John Valley Recovery High School Pilot 
Program, referred to in this section as "the program," as a 3-year pilot program to be based 
at the campus of the University of Maine at Fort Kent and to be operated by the Valley 
Unified Education Service Center, or its successor organization, in accordance with this 
section, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.  Students enrolled in the program are 
enrolled as students of School Administrative District No. 27.  The program must:
1.  Educate high school students.  Educate high school students in recovery from 
substance use disorder or co-occurring disorders;
2.  Provide supervised housing.  Provide supervised housing to students enrolled in 
the program during the school week;
3.  Address diploma requirements.  Address requirements for awarding secondary 
school diplomas to students enrolled in the program; 
4.  Require participation in recovery program.  Require students to participate in a 
concurrent, complementary program of recovery from substance use disorder or 
co-occurring disorders while enrolled in the program;
5.  Provide minimum staffing.  Be staffed by, at a minimum, a certified adult 
education teacher, a certified special education teacher or a certified alternative education 
teacher and a certified education technician III and a full-time recovery coach that will be 
employed by School Administrative District No. 27;
6.  Require drug and alcohol testing.  Require drug and alcohol testing to be 
conducted upon a student's return to campus after a weekend or vacation and require 
random drug and alcohol testing throughout the school year; and
7.  Provide internship opportunities.  Provide University of Maine System students 
enrolled in social and behavioral sciences, social work, criminal justice, rural public safety 
administration, allied health and nursing programs and other related programs the 
opportunity to serve as program interns.
The department shall work with the Valley Unified Education Service Center, or its 
successor organization, and the Department of Health and Human Services to establish the 
curriculum and enrollment criteria for the program.  The department shall adopt necessary 
rules to carry out the provisions of this section.  Rules adopted pursuant to this section are 
routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
This chapter is repealed September 1, 2029.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Education to establish the Upper St. John Valley 
Recovery High School Pilot Program, a 3-year pilot program based at the campus of the 
University of Maine at Fort Kent and operated by the Valley Unified Education Service 
Center, or its successor organization, to educate high school students in recovery from 
substance use disorder or co-occurring disorders.  The bill requires the program to provide 
supervised housing to enrolled students during the school week and requires students to 
participate in a concurrent, complementary program of recovery from substance use 
disorder or co-occurring disorders while enrolled in the program.  The program must 
address requirements for awarding secondary school diplomas to students enrolled in the 
program.  The bill also requires the Department of Education to work with the Department 
of Health and Human Services and the Valley Unified Education Service Center to 
establish the curriculum and enrollment criteria for the program.