SAD 40: Violation reports off-limits Fingerprinting focus of many cases

WARREN – Releasing documents pertaining to the state Education Department’s report of SAD 40 staff violations would violate state law, interim Superintendent Jerry White said.

Recent media requests for information regarding the 74 violations by teachers and staff sent to SAD 40 by the state have been on hold pending an opinion from the school district’s legal adviser, the law firm Drummond, Woodsum & MacMahon of Portland.

On Tuesday, White presented a letter to the Bangor Daily News citing Maine law that specifically makes certain certification information confidential.

However, White shared some details from the state’s reports.

He said many of the violations involved staff members not being fingerprinted – a recent state requirement – or teachers’ courses toward certification not being processed by the state.

In 50 percent of the cases, the issue is fingerprinting, according to White.

Last week, Nancy Ibarguen, a state Department of Education spokeswoman, said violations issued to SAD 40 were mainly for fingerprinting not being done or courses not yet taken by staff. In some of those instances, the violations were simply that the state had not yet recorded and processed information from SAD 40 staff who already had satisfied requirements.

Ibarguen said information and documents about specific staff members are confidential.

White said the Maine State Police come to the midcoast area only once a year to do fingerprinting and that it is difficult for staff to travel an hour or two to have it done elsewhere.

SAD 40 has invited state police to use the district’s facilities free of charge to set up a fingerprinting clinic, but the offer has not been accepted, White said.

White said that of the remaining 50 percent of the alleged violations, 45 percent are certification-related but are for incorrect job titles on staff information forms. White explained the complexities of the certification process in obtaining conditional, transitional and regular certification and endorsements that are in a teacher’s record.

There is a certain number of credit hours in education a teacher must take each year to obtain or maintain certification or to receive endorsements for teaching specific subjects. A teacher must be recertified every five years, he noted.

Only 5 percent of the violations are “issues that have to be looked at,” he said.

As a result of the many violations, White will meet today with administrators to recommend that on opening day in September they take time to explain to employees how to complete the staff information forms and to complete them together. The state has a manual to assist in filling in the documents, he said.