Providing Quality Insurance Solutions for Maine Public Schools with a
Commitment to Superior Customer Services and Cost Effectiveness.
Training Requirements for Public Schools
Various Maine and Federal laws and/or regulations impose requirements for employee training. Some
training is required for all employees, but some applies only to targeted groups. School administrators and
supervisors need to know what training is required, which employees need it, and the frequency of each
training course. Employee training records must be maintained by the school unit. The following list
provides an overview of staff training requirements for various target groups in schools. MSMA has also
identified training that is not specifically required but is recommended for the purpose of reducing school
unit risk of exposure to liability. MSMA has also identified the training platforms available through
MSMA and from others, as listed. While this list is current and to the best of our knowledge is accurate in
September 2020, changes in laws/regulations may require modification or additions to this list.
REQUIRED TRAINING
ALL STAFF
Subject
Frequency
Platforms:
Live (L)
PowerPoint (PP)
TargetSolutions (TS)
Sexual Harassment
(ME law and federal
Title IX)
All employees.
All employees: Description of sexual harassment;
elements of policy and complaint procedure;
obligation to report.
Title IX Coordinators and personnel involved as
investigators, decision makers, informal resolution
facilitators: Definitions under ME and federal law;
scope of education programs/activities;
investigations; complaint procedure; informal
resolution process; avoidance of bias and conflict
of interest; (and for decision makers and
investigators-relevance of questions an evidence).
Within first year
TS
DW
Bullying/
Cyberbullying
School units are required to provide professional
development and staff training in “best approaches”
to bullying.
At least once,
recommended
annual refresher.
TS
MAINE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
INSURANCE PROGRAMS
49 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04330
Telephone: (207) 622-3473 Fax: (207) 626-2968 W/C Fax: (207) 620-7090
Website: www.msmaweb.com
Restraint/Seclusion
All employees.
Annual
awareness for all;
DOE approved
certification
program for a
“sufficient
number of staff,
administrators”
Contact Maine
DOE
Suicide Prevention
All employees must have awareness training and
designated staff must have “gatekeeper” suicide
prevention training.
Initial and
annual,
gatekeeper: 5-
year
Contact Maine
DOE or NAMI
Maine
Suspected Child
Abuse and Neglect
All school staff are mandatory reporters. Required
of all staff to report suspected child abuse and/or
neglect.
Initial, review
every 4 years
Maine DHHS
(online)
Child Sexual Abuse
Awareness and
Prevention
Requires all school staff to attend 1 hour training
aligned with the Maine DOE “model policy”
regarding child sexual abuse (this is in addition to
“mandated reporter” training regarding suspected
child abuse and neglect.
Initial, review
every 4 years
Contact Maine
DOE, MECASA
Confidentiality of
Student Information
All employees (particularly those responsible for
maintaining records) and school volunteers.
Initial and annual
refresher
EDUCATORS AND/OR OTHER
DESIGNATED PERSONNEL
Gender Equity
Required by Maine law for teachers,
administrators and other designated personnel,
and for school board members. Content is not
specified.
Not specified, at
least once
recommended.
Freedom of Access
Act (FOAA)
School unit’s Public Access Officer and Board
members; “officials” of school unit (e.g.,
administrators, school and central office
administrative assistants)
For Board
members and
public access
officer, within
120 days of oath
or appointment
maine.gov/foaa
PE/PG Evaluation
System
All educators covered by the system and
evaluators.
“Ongoing”
training for
educators to
understand the
system
Administration of
Medication
All non-licensed staff who administer
medication to students
Initial and
annual refresher
Concussions/Head
injuries
Athletic Directors, coaches and other
designated personnel
Initial and every
two years, or
when protocols
change
Homeless Students
Homeless Liaison; other staff as necessary
For Homeless
Liaison, upon
appointment
SAFETY TRAINING FOR TARGETED
GROUPS
Video Display Terminal (VDT) Users
Video Display
Terminals/Ergonomics
Employees using a computer workstation more
than 4 hours per day; more than a total of 20
hours per week.
Initial and
annual
Custodial, Food Service, Maintenance,
Shop, Art and Science Teacher Staff
Hazard
Communication
Hazard Communication training, including
global harmonization. Hazardous chemicals
are expected in these areas: kitchens,
custodial/maintenance, shops, art. Note:
HazCom for laboratory/science teachers has
its own training standard (Lab Safety
Standard).
Initial and SDS-
specific training
when chemicals
change.
(Annual)
Fire Extinguisher
Designated employees must have initial and
refresher training in use and purposes of
extinguishers. Refer to school unit’s fire plan).
Bloodborne Pathogens
Those employees identified in the exposure
control plan as having ‘reasonably anticipated”
exposure to blood or infectious materials (e.g.
nurses, coaches, special ed techs, bus drivers,
custodial, and kitchen).
Initial and
annual
Custodial/Maintenance Only
Lockout/Tagout
Required if an employee repairs any
equipment, works on buses, or works with
energy (electric, pneumatics).
Initial and if
program
changes
Universal Waste
Required if an employee collects/manages
waste, fluorescent bulbs, or computer
monitors.
Initial
Asbestos
Required for custodians, who work in a
building with asbestos, and Asbestos
Designated Person.
Initial and
annual
Hearing Conservation
Required if an employee is exposed to 85
decibels for 8 hours or more (contact MSMA
for details).
Initial and
annual
Respiratory Protection
Required if an employee is exposed to welding
or paint fumes, or issued a respirator (not
recommended).
Initial and
annual
Confined Space
Required for employees working around deep
sump pits, pellet silos, septic tanks, and other
dangerous to life spaces-called permit-
required confined spaces.
Initial upon hire
Ladders, genie lifts,
scaffolding, and
forklifts
Required for employees required to routinely
use a ladder, or for employees that use a genie
lift, forklift or scaffolding. Must comply with
owner’s manual.
Initial upon hire
Integrated Pest
Management (IPM)
The district-appointed IPM Coordinator needs
two initial training courses as well as annual
refreshers (1 hour). Contact the Board of
Pesticides Control (BPC) in Maine Dept. of
Agriculture.
Initial and
annual
Board of Pesticides
Control
(BPC)
Bus Drivers Only
Bus Evacuation
Emergency Evacuation on the Bus
Initial and twice
annually
Transportation
Safe Riding
Safe Riding Rules and Practices
Initial and twice
annually
Food Service Only
Certified Food
Protection Manager
Required to be on-staff if accepting federal
funds for programs. Contact Department of
Education for details.
Initial
OTHER RECOMMENDED SAFETY
TRAINING
Slips/Trips/Falls/Injury
Prevention
All staff, but particularly those involved in
custodial, food service, maintenance, special
ed, and bus driving activities
Annually for at-
risk staff; every
3 years for all
staff
Soft Tissue (muscle,
tendon, etc.) Injury
Prevention
All staff, but particularly those involved in
custodial, food service, maintenance, special
ed, and bus driving activities
Annually for at-
risk staff; every
3 years for all
staff
Special Education
Injury Prevention
All special education staff
Not specified,
recommended
annually
Crossing roadways
(not directing traffic)
School employees and volunteers engaged in
crossing students on public roadways to and
from school buildings
Initial
MSMA MAINTAINS A LIST OF OTHER AVAILABLE TRAINING COURSES THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL TO SCHOOL UNITS AND
THEIR EMPLOYEES. PLEASE CONTACT MSMA FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Ways to Obtain Training
MSMA provides members with three platforms to obtain both required and recommended training courses:
1) Live Presentations. MSMA’s Risk and Safety Manager, Ed Antz at eantz@msmaweb.com, offers live
safety training course presentations. MSMA has more than 30 safety-related PowerPoint presentations, focused
on public school activities, which are well-suited for custodial, food service, maintenance, and bus driver staff.
2) Train-The-Trainer PowerPoint Presentations. MSMA offers to train school unit staff to be able to present
the PowerPoint presentations for use in training their own staff. Trainers should be familiar with the materials
being presented or perhaps sit in and attend one or more of the live presentations for topic-specific information.
3) Online Training. MSMA contracts with TargetSolutions to allow members free access to more than 150
health, safety, and human resource types of training courses. The online training platform also allows members
to easily track and assign training courses. These courses are suited best to individual learning for people with
good reading skills. Most courses are general-industry oriented, not school-specific. For more information,
please contact Amy Cline at TargetSolutions: amy[email protected] or call 1-858-524-3330.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MSMA provides this list and the training course presentations themselves for information only. The information is not intended as
legal advice or to substitute for the advice of a school unit’s legal counsel. MSMA makes no representation as to the completeness or
accuracy of the list or the completeness or adequacy of courses offered. School units are solely responsible for compliance with
applicable laws and regulations. Questions regarding specific training requirements should be directed to the applicable regulatory
agency.