School Safety & Security

The Maine School Safety Center is dedicated to ensuring schools have the latest and most up to date information regarding a safe and supportive school environment, accounting for the whole student.  We work with our Federal, State, County, and Local partners to improve physical campus security and the school safety climate.

Organizations and resources included are for reference and information only, they are not an endorsement from the Maine Department of Education.

• National Association of School Resource Officers
• Federal School Safety
• Maine Information and Analysis Center (MIAC)
• Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
• Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
• Maine Youth Action Network

• Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Online Recruitment of Child Sex Trafficking Becoming Endemic 

Human traffickers increasingly use online extortion campaigns to coerce vulnerable children into commercial sex work. In 2025, reports of online enticement toward children rose to nearly 520,000, roughly 80 percent higher than the year before, according to data from the CyberTipline of the US government-supported nonprofit, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). With 96 percent of US teens reportedly using the internet daily, traffickers exploit social media, video games, encrypted messaging apps, dating apps, and, increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and manipulate victims. The NCMEC CyberTipline reported an over 60‑fold increase in the use of generative AI in child sexual exploitation cases in 2025 compared to the year before. In September 2025, an individual in Indiana pled guilty to using social media and AI to extort 68 minors before sexually trafficking at least 5 of these victims.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security created a new bulletin in January 2026 called Online Recruitment of Child Sex Trafficking Becoming Endemic. The bulletin details the typical life cycle of a sex trafficking operation targeting a minor through an online video game.

Bullying

Resources and strategies for preventing and addressing bullying in schools. 

• Bullying Prevention and Mental Health
• Know Bullying (SAMHSA)
• Stop Bullying.gov 
• Facts about Bullying (Stopbullying.gov)
• Student Bullying Guide  

Internet Safety

Guidance on protecting students, staff, and school systems from online activity.

• Cyberbullying Resource Center  
• 5 Things Students Should Do to Stay Safe and Secure Online 
• Common Sense on Media for Educators  
• MECASA Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• Human Trafficking

Substance Misuse

Educational materials and prevention strategies for substance misuse among students. 

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 
• Vaping

School-Based Law Enforcement

Specialized training programs for law enforcement officers to enhance their interactions with schools, including de-escalation techniques, youth engagement strategies, and school-specific safety protocols. 

• NASRO Training Courses and Curriculum 
• The First Five Things An SRO Should Do (School Resource Officer Video Series) - National Center for School Safety (nc2s.org
• Maine Criminal Justice Academy

Contact Michelle for:

• Memorandums of Understanding (MOU)
• Site Assessment
• School Resource Officer (SRO) Training