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An Act To Improve Teacher Confidentiality Laws
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §13004, sub-§2-A, as amended by PL 2007, c. 666, §1, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
 
2-A.  Confidentiality.   The provisions of this subsection govern confidentiality.
 
A.  Complaints and responses pursuant to section 13020 and any other information or materials that may result in an action to deny, revoke or suspend certification are confidential, except when submitted in court proceedings to revoke or suspend certification.
 
B.  Except for information designated confidential under section 6101 or section 6103, information designated confidential under paragraph A may be released or used by the department as necessary to:
 
(1) Complete its own investigations;
 
(2) Provide information to a national association of state directors of teacher education and certification to which the State belongs;
 
(3) Assist other public authorities to investigate the same teacher's certification in another jurisdiction;
 
(4) Report or prevent criminal misconduct or assist law enforcement agencies in their investigations; or
 
(5) Report child abuse or neglect under Title 22, section 4011-A.
 
C.  The department may publish and release as public information statistical summaries of complaints and dispositions as long as the release of such information does not jeopardize the confidentiality of individually identifiable information.
 
SUMMARY
This bill permits access to confidential information on denials, revocations and suspensions of teacher certification to the extent that the information is needed by a national association of state directors of teacher education and certification, in aid of an investigation by other jurisdictions investigating qualifications for certification or considering reciprocal disciplinary action or by law enforcement agencies in aid of an investigation.
The bill also authorizes the Department of Education to disseminate as public information statistical summaries of complaints and dispositions as long as the dissemination does not jeopardize the confidentiality of individually identifiable information.