AUBURN – A proposed state rule change that might have sliced services by the Auburn-based Margaret Murphy Centers for Children has been shelved.

Michelle Hathaway, director of the nonprofit, said Friday that the state Department of Health and Human Services pulled a proposal that would have changed the regulations and funding for programs like hers.

Hathaway led an effort to put public pressure on the state to reconsider and spent much of the week pleading her case directly with decision-makers in Augusta.

She had warned in an open letter Monday that the proposal would have destroyed the centers’ programming and harmed children who need help. She also asked supporters to sign an online petition to add their voices to the opposition.