Laws and Regulations for those who care for children with special needs under age five and in school.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
Chapter 101: Maine Unified Special Education Regulation Birth to Age Twenty (MUSER). This rule chapter is specific to the education of children with disabilities in Maine. Click "State Regulation: Chapter 101" to read the entire rule chapter.
Infants & Toddlers Guidelines. Learn the requirements for supporting infants and toddlers, courtesy of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Maine Early Learning and Development Standards. The State of Maine Early Childhood Learning Guidelines serves as a guide for state and local early care and education practitioners' efforts to improve early childhood professional practice and programs for young children ages three through their entrance into kindergarten.
Transportation Information: School bus regulations apply to preschool programs in Maine. Schools offering transportation to preschool-age children must understand federal, national, and state regulations and guides
The Dispute Resolution Office: Assists parents and school districts with the resolution of special education disputes regarding the evaluation, identification, placement, programming, and the provision of early intervention services for children birth to two years old, and a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE) for 3-5 year-olds with disabilities. Click here Effective Dispute Resolution for more information.
MaineCare. School districts may be required to offer certain medical services to students, often covered or partially covered by Medicare.
Chapter 33- Restraint and Seclusion
Chapter 124: BASIC APPROVAL STANDARDS: PUBLIC PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS

Part B 619 Proposed Legislation Information Center

Part B/619 Transition Committee Recommendations (December 11,2017)

Child Count by Age/Town/Eligibility (EXCEL, 464 KB) Instructions (Word, 12 KB
Government Oversight Committee Report. (PDF, 43KB) Published February 1, 2016. This is the annual report required by P.L. 2011, c. 616 to the Government Oversight Committee (GOC) and the Office Of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) regarding Quasi-Independent State Entities.
- 2015 GOC/OPEGA Report (PDF, 269KB)
- 2014 GOC/OPEGA Report (PDF, 452KB)
- 2013 GOC/OPEGA Report (PDF, 1.620MB)
- 2012 GOC/OPEGA Report (PDF, 64K)

ECTA Executive Summary of Regional Stakeholder Meetings

In October of 2019, at MDOE’s request, Technical Assistance personnel from the IDEA Early Child Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) facilitated seven regional stakeholder groups to gain additional understanding of SAUs’ perspective on the proposed transition of the transfer of responsibility for special education services for children, ages 3 to 5, to the public schools. ECTA’s Executive Summary of those meetings provides regional and statewide detail regarding both the opportunities and challenges that the proposed transition presents.

By design and necessity, the size of the regional groups was limited and primarily consisted of SAU representatives. However, MDOE and CDS acknowledge that the input of stakeholders, other than SAU representatives who participated in the regional meetings, is exceptionally valuable in developing a comprehensive understanding of complex variables that must be considered.

Interested parties are encouraged to email their input to CDSStateDirector@maine.gov using "Stakeholder Feedback" as the subject. A synthesis of input received will be posted to this site prior to the January Legislative session and will be provided to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs for their consideration.