[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6232796,"mediaKeyId","3425775-d61efaf3aa81aeef39fa872f95124a3f","parentId",3425775,"title","District reports middle‑school ELA rollout, graduation dates and a new multilingual sixth‑grade orientation","audioSeconds",1423,"startMs",6363960,"endMs",7787945,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3425775-d61efaf3aa81aeef39fa872f95124a3f&start=6363&end=7787","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3425775-d61efaf3aa81aeef39fa872f95124a3f/thumbnail_6363960.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6232796/Maine/District-reports-middleschool-ELA-rollout-graduation-dates-and-a-new-multilingual-sixthgrade-orientation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6232796-5385996ce8f6bd662de03523890abbe1/orig.mp4?Expires=1773579519&Signature=GR8SrQqn5TkBes58a0H3X8SgxwlVUmhhezA3oyLuhsBUrW87PEgfKYj2JtXerMs55wE10JOCgElnSfhyNm5UDX7MWZmwaOj5ZhU205OuC54tW6-8nwQrbindD29cazzfsekzKygKnle~82OpQN37XfxPGneNe3JvFSB684fccUEyvoIFWN6KkEI75RfBr748Dv4PjbOCOwIe8M10s0jjKF24DWKFGZfg9chn9GnOotZITs~GqsDUP~btg1zl1ngeLAB9akiGMoBkM5JPg-YEMKtkaJN0ivdIUnt5btrZGjavYOB7juIotzpoI4p13RyZBiVM7qVrNKFhBv20eL7icQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Portland Public Schools","date","2025-05-21T16:16:32.523Z","article","District leaders on May 20 gave the Portland Board of Public Education a monthly update on secondary schools, reporting progress on a planned rollout of an adopted English language arts curriculum in grades six through eight, a new multilingual family orientation for rising sixth‑graders, and the calendar for senior graduations and other year‑end rituals.

Assistant Superintendent Abdullah Ahmed presented highlights and called the month a time of celebrations and transitions. \"This is the time of the year where there is a lot of celebrations and rituals in the schools,\" he said, and listed senior assemblies and graduation dates at Casco Bay, Deering and Portland High School.

Allison Dame, director of secondary academics, reported that principals, coaches and teachers completed three district walk‑throughs focused on use of the adopted ELA materials and on student engagement protocols. By April, Dame said, the curriculum was in use in every middle‑school ELA classroom and the district saw \"dramatic growth\" in teacher practice tied to the materials. She said pacing and ensuring exposure to all standards across the year will be a top focus for next year.

Grace Valenzuela, executive leader for multilingual family engagement, described a first‑ever orientation for families of rising sixth graders last week that included principals from King, Lincoln and Lyman Moore middle schools and offered interpreter services in Arabic, Khmer, French, Lingala, Portuguese, Somali and Spanish. \"We were excited most of all about the engagement among parents and students who attended,\" she said.

Dame said the district also piloted a high‑school walkthrough process designed to give principals more consistent instructional feedback and that principals want to triangulate classroom observations with student assessment data (CenterPoint interim assessments and NWEA) in the coming year.

Why it matters: administrators framed the work as a mix of curriculum implementation, leadership development and family engagement as students transition from elementary to middle school and then to high school. Board members asked for clearer goal benchmarks to accompany reported walkthrough gains and requested that the district include target percentages on future reports so progress can be measured against agreed objectives.

Next steps: administrators said they will continue professional development around pacing and multilingual instructional moves, integrate interim assessment data into walkthroughs and expand opportunities for principals to visit one another's high‑school classrooms. The district listed graduation and celebration dates for late May and early June and said Portland Adult Education and PATH will schedule program‑specific ceremonies later in June.

No board action was required; the report was informational.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Portland Board of Public Education Business Meeting May 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","District leaders on May 20 told the Portland Board of Public Education that the adopted middle‑school ELA curriculum is now in use in every grades‑6–8 classroom and that the district held its first multilingual orientation for families of rising sixth graders.","taxTitle","Portland Public Schools, School Districts, Maine","taxId",38492,"location","Maine","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6232801,"Portland board says South Portland police failed to notify district before student was briefly detained near Deering High; chief agrees to notify in future",543,5957765,6501435,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3425775-d61efaf3aa81aeef39fa872f95124a3f&start=5957&end=6501","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3425775-d61efaf3aa81aeef39fa872f95124a3f/thumbnail_5957765.jpg","/articles/6232801/Maine/Portland-board-says-South-Portland-police-failed-to-notify-district-before-student-was-briefly-detained-near-Deering-High-chief-agrees-to-notify-in-future","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6232801-89e6772802d7670d41f7147fbc6af47e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773579519&Signature=F3f7vGHpGo~WK2eKnoIdmxiwrbP1kquK9NNWB0iArdvj0bVWBMPIPEkcE2miRy4jXOiUeGk9Squ2yXocNK~-Pmxg~5ZEpYjwReKhoXe3zutCjq4e~viITDBX7FlYYT-4w06rZzT8VlQTsLtYYtfbFPIzl30eOUN-byD8YJk6z8W7oN0M32ihZXld7gDEbVLT3LY82g6Bpj~TpiBDttzCC4t4n43Xtwk2rrka5IvYR3F6duynYoEEAwYHnuyE0dBoJ0SmyQIz1bjAK~Zxl~zDPW4Elr8Zy5-u9h~c4VEXRwyPMkVDVNJWOGw37jMPR5OAm4mYg-HZngpzvpUmV~MDSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Portland Board of Public Education on Tuesday publicly addressed an incident last week in which South Portland police, executing a statewide warrant near Deering High School, briefly detained and handcuffed a Deering student during open‑campus lunch, and said it will press for better advance notification of police activity near schools.

Board Chair Lentz read a prepared statement expressing concern that Deering High School staff were not notified before the police operation and calling the event \"unsettling and potentially traumatic\" for the students involved. The statement said no Deering student \"was at fault in this situation\" and praised school staff who supported students after the incident.

The board and superintendent said Superintendent Scallon has spoken with South Portland Police Chief Ahern. The chief \"has agreed to inform our district of planned police actions near a school whenever possible so we can proactively ensure student safety,\" the board announced. The statement said South Portland police are conducting an internal review of the incident and its protocols.

Board member Ali Ali criticized the South Portland Police Department in stark terms, saying the student was detained because of a perceived resemblance to a suspect and that the episode illustrated why many jurisdictions reconsider police presence in schools. \"This is literally the reason why we don't [have police assigned to schools],\" Ali said, and he called for an apology to the student and family.

Superintendent Scallon and board members said Deering staff and counselors provided immediate support and debriefing for students who witnessed the event. Assistant Superintendent Abdullah Ahmed, who responded to the scene, said students cooperated and school staff promptly redirected students back to campus.

Why it matters: board leaders said the episode underscores the role of timely communication between law enforcement and school officials when police activity occurs near campuses, and highlighted the disproportionate risks communities of color face in policing encounters. The board asked for reviews and for procedures that enable advance notification when feasible.

Board action: Chair Lentz said the board supported the prepared statement and thanked staff for rapid support to students. The board indicated it will continue to press for improved communication protocols and said it expects the South Portland Police Department's internal review and any follow‑up to be shared with district leadership.

Officials did not identify the detained student and said the student was released; the board said the detention was brief and that students handled the situation with composure. The district urged the public and the board to await South Portland police's internal review for additional factual findings.

The board said it values its working relationship with the Portland Police Department, which typically provides notice of police actions near schools, and said it will press the South Portland department for similar notifications in the future.","The Portland School Board on May 20 read a prepared statement about an incident in which South Portland police detained a Deering High School student near campus. The board said it was troubled the district wasn’t notified in advance; South Portland police are conducting an internal review and agreed to notify the district when possible.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6232806,"Portland school board hears wide public comment on proposed districtwide cell‑phone ban; vote set for June 10",11846,194715,12040765,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3425775-d61efaf3aa81aeef39fa872f95124a3f&start=194&end=12040","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3425775-d61efaf3aa81aeef39fa872f95124a3f/thumbnail_194715.jpg","/articles/6232806/Maine/Portland-school-board-hears-wide-public-comment-on-proposed-districtwide-cellphone-ban-vote-set-for-June-10","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6232806-e4984ee68ae857bee6bfb8a84185d6d5/orig.mp4?Expires=1773579519&Signature=m2MNrtCfq9~YtgUxkBCFmZpFTfKVligkxL7nqg3Zw2oBD44wJORGCnx6NY5f4904z2q--JwF4srYQVz0rCP-kSoZGTb4bsnymvp-K-JXfzUga9Nx-PQSb7DAXhffs9FHtPKm5~tbuScquXZkLNFAmb~LIZhWhVHL9iRKthUf7x5JqvNMTP9c5rLP1uO6bHXgwNPvl0xv3sdd1A~ml676n-5mRJzqyJybc-B~zA4HEcslhAoF7rVvRTz4rohxp1hAB2OT3oJ1j4MtB~zWO-a4PBXmIMf64hgkv1vu8mYQeMTW0FI~VN6jNm1TVzmq53vcwUPNNc7om6SAFibN1KV5bg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Portland Board of Public Education on Tuesday heard hours of public comment and a staff workshop on a proposed update to policy JFCK that would make personal cellphones and similar devices inaccessible to students during the school day, with a board vote scheduled for June 10.

The proposal would require students who bring phones or other personal electronic devices to school to store them in locked or supervised storage during the school day; the policy draft also authorizes the superintendent to create implementing rules and procedures. Board members held a workshop after public comment to review feedback and implementation questions.

Why it matters: supporters told the board they see phone bans as a low‑cost way to reduce distraction, cyberbullying and anxiety and to increase classroom engagement, while opponents — including many high‑school students, some parents and several teachers — urged more time to refine implementation details and exemptions for safety, translation and off‑campus activities.

Teachers and parents who urged the ban described classroom and social benefits. \"I'm a 25‑year veteran teacher of Portland's high schools,\" said Sarah Schmidt, a teacher at Deering High School. \"Teenagers report that they are online almost constantly during the day ... phones are implicated in countless studies\" linking social media to depression and attention problems. At Casco Bay High School, English teacher Cece Davies Robinson said school psychologist observations and research on learning gains support the change: \"I believe that failure to support boundaries on this technology is a form of educational malpractice,\" she said.

Other speakers urged caution. Erica Lee Winship, a teacher at Portland High School, said Portland High already uses a functioning \"phone hotel\" system and that the district should consider a phased or differentiated approach for the high schools: \"I haven't seen a lot of willingness to commit to student accountability from the central office staff or this board,\" she said, arguing for clearer progressive discipline and more preparation time for staff.

Board staff and administrators acknowledged both the research cited by supporters and the practical concerns raised by opponents. Dr. Warren (board member) and other staff said the proposed policy intentionally leaves implementation details — for example, whether to use locking pouches such as Yondr, how to treat off‑campus lunch or internships, and what narrow medical or instructional exceptions will look like — to the superintendent's rules so the district can adapt processes by school level. Assistant Superintendent Abdullah Ahmed and other administrators said schools can order pouch systems quickly if the board elects that route and that schools will need procedures for late arrivals, early dismissals and off‑campus programs.

The board has scheduled additional community engagement sessions (May 27 at Casco Bay, May 28 at King Middle School with interpreters) and said it will distribute a district survey before the June 10 vote. Board members and staff also plan site visits — the administration said it will visit Bath's Morse High School to observe a pouch‑based system already in use.

The debate touched on practical concerns that repeatedly returned in testimony: how families will contact students who are off campus at lunch or staying late for activities; whether Chromebooks and school devices provide adequate alternatives for translation and classwork; how to define \"on the student's person\" if pouches are used; and equitable treatment of multilingual learners, students with medical needs, and students who rely on phones for work or caretaking duties. Students and some staff said policies should be developed with substantial student input and clear enforcement plans to avoid uneven application.

What happens next: the board held a first read and a workshop on the draft policy on May 20; further engagement and a community survey are planned, and the board is scheduled to vote on revised policy JFCK on June 10. If adopted, the superintendent's office will publish implementing rules and procedures and outline timelines, equipment choices and exception processes.

Implementation notes: administrators said they are researching locking‑pouch vendors, alternative communications systems for families and athletics, and technical workarounds for translation and classroom use. They told the board they could implement a pouch‑based approach within a short timeline if the board chooses that path, but emphasized the need for training, school‑level logistics and clear exception criteria.

The board did not take final action Tuesday; the proposed policy remains under consideration and will return for a vote on June 10.","Hundreds of public commenters, teachers and students told the Portland Board of Public Education on May 20 that a proposed bell‑to‑bell ban on personal phones could help or harm learning. The board held a first read, continued community engagement and scheduled a June 10 vote.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

District reports middle‑school ELA rollout, graduation dates and a new multilingual sixth‑grade orientation

Portland board says South Portland police failed to notify district before student was briefly detained near Deering High; chief agrees to notify in future

Portland school board hears wide public comment on proposed districtwide cell‑phone ban; vote set for June 10