RSU 16 board approves revised graduation, social media policies

POLAND — While things are “a mess” statewide when it comes to proficiency-based learning, “we are not a mess” Poland Regional High School Principal Cari Medd told RSU 16 directors Monday night.

“The Legislature sort of abolished proficiency, but there’s nothing really in place of it, so there are a lot of issues” for daily curriculum guidance, Medd said.

“But we’re going to keep doing our thing (at Poland Regional High School) because we are not a mess,” Medd said. “We got a good plan and the plan has been in place for a long time and we’ve been moving in this direction for years. So there really shouldn’t be any disruption or dramatic changes.”

Although the Maine Legislature abolished the graduation requirement for students to demonstrate proficiency in school subjects such as English, language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, Medd said her school will still retain the requirement.

However, the titles of the required courses, which are listed in the school’s graduation policy and state that a student must meet proficiency standards, will no longer include proficiency wording.

The board approved the revised graduation policy, as well as revised policies on expense authorization and reimbursement procedures and employee discrimination and harassment complaint procedures.

A new policy on the use of social media by school employees was also accepted by the board. Superintendent Ken Healey said the policy will govern social media interactions between students and school employees — teachers and support staff members.

Healey said the policy will “give us a strong set of rules on how social media can be used by our employees” in regard to students. Under the policy, there will be no friending on private social communication. Social media correspondence will be allowed for school-sponsored clubs, groups and organizations with administrative approval.

Healey said the policy was reviewed by RSU 16 attorneys prior to consideration by the Educational Policy Committee.

In other business, Healey said the RSU 16 student population for Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland is 1,761. The tallies are: Minot Consolidated School, 265; Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls, 295; Poland Community School, 472; Bruce Whittier Middle School in Poland, 269; and Poland Regional High School, 465.

An information sheet outlining the renovation of Bruce Whittier Middle School will be mailed Friday to 5,218 addresses in the district.