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Therapeutic & Alternative Boarding Schools In Maine
Help Your Teen Now is a parent advocacy group that understands the stress that comes along with raising a troubled teen. If your path has led you to the point of considering an alternative or therapeutic boarding school, then you have come to the right place. With our knowledgeable staff, our database of trustworthy information and our years of experience, we have helped hundreds of families just like yours. There are many factors to consider with this decision and we are dedicated to making sure you have access to the specific information you need without spending hours online. Take the first step to heal your family and call us today.
Maine Regulatory Laws
While official Accreditation is not required, Approval or Recognition by the Maine Department of Education is mandatory. A private school must meet the attendance, health and safety standards as set out in the state regulations. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §2902. Periodic review of nonpublic schools by the commissioner is necessary to maintain approval status. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §258-A.
All teachers and instructors must be approved by the commissioner, with the exception of those schools accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §§ 2901, 13003. A principals certificate is required for any chief administrator employed by a nonpublic school. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §13019-B.
The curriculum for nonpublic schools must be approved by the commissioner and must include minimum performance standards and time requirements. It must include instruction in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, library instruction, math, science, art, drama, American and local history as well as social studies. A drug and alcohol awareness program must also be implemented. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §§2902.3, 4706, 4711.
Evidence of immunization or paperwork showing legal exemption is required for all new students. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §6353.3, 4, 6. Students in nonpublic schools are entitled to the same health benefits as those attending public schools. This includes physician, nursing, dental and optometric services. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 30-A, §5724.7.
Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
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Educational Recources
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Maine Regulatory Laws
While official Accreditation is not required, Approval or Recognition by the Maine Department of Education is mandatory. A private school must meet the attendance, health and safety standards as set out in the state regulations. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §2902. Periodic review of nonpublic schools by the commissioner is necessary to maintain approval status. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §258-A.
All teachers and instructors must be approved by the commissioner, with the exception of those schools accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §§ 2901, 13003. A principals certificate is required for any chief administrator employed by a nonpublic school. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §13019-B.
The curriculum for nonpublic schools must be approved by the commissioner and must include minimum performance standards and time requirements. It must include instruction in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, library instruction, math, science, art, drama, American and local history as well as social studies. A drug and alcohol awareness program must also be implemented. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §§2902.3, 4706, 4711.
Evidence of immunization or paperwork showing legal exemption is required for all new students. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 20-A, §6353.3, 4, 6. Students in nonpublic schools are entitled to the same health benefits as those attending public schools. This includes physician, nursing, dental and optometric services. Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 30-A, §5724.7.
Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
Educational Recources
Statistics for At-Risk Maine Teens
ADD/ADHD
- 9.6%
9.6 percent of children between 4 and 17 diagnosed per year. (2007 study, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007 Study).
TEEN PREGNANCY
- 29.4%
Pregnancy rates for adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 in Maine were between 16.4 and 29.4 per 1,000 women (Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2009 Study).
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6006a6.htm?s_cid=mm6006a6_e%0d%0a
TEEN SUICIDE
11th
Maine ranks 11th in the nation for suicide in individuals age 15-24. In 2010, there were 25 deaths with a crude rate of 14.9. (CDC’s WISQARS website “Fatal Injury Reports, 2010”
http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html;)
http://www.suicidology.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=262&name=DLFE-629.pdf
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
- 17.5%
Approximately 16,000 of adolescents in Maine, age 12-17, experiment with illicit drugs monthly. 13,000 regularly use marijuana and 6,000 use other types of illicit drugs. 17.5 percent of adolescents used alcohol in the past month and 10.0 engaged in binge drinking. (State Report, 2009, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.)
VIOLENT CRIME
2151
In 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice reported the following juvenile arrest rates for for Maine: 66 arrests for violent crime, 1,622 arrests for property crime, 428 arrests for Drug Abuse and 35 arrests for weapons violations. (Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2009).
GRADUATION RATES
- 84%
Maine had an 84 percent statewide graduation rate for the 2010-2011 school year. (U.S. Department of Education. 2010-2011)
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/high-school-graduation-rates-by-state.html
Summary
We Can Help!
Your teens situation is unique. That is why we offer a free evaluation at the beginning of your first call. This helps us to recommend the groups and programs that would be most helpful to you. We hold very high standards for our recommendation list and we don’t add anyone that we haven’t personally checked out for a history of success in working with troubled teens.
We want you to be confident with our advice, so we are not financially or contractually affiliated in any way with the groups and organizations we endorse. The more knowledge you have, the more likely you are to trust your decision on which alternative or therapeutic boarding school to select. We want to be your advocate throughout this stressful process. Call us today!