Weekly Field Memo: Recent News and Items of Interest From the Agency

Contents:

Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Educators, School and District Communications Staff

The Agency has launched School Spotlight, a new video series that visits one Vermont school per episode and tells its story in the words of its students and educators. Episode one features the Food Truck Project at Windham Regional Career Center in Brattleboro, where each Business and Entrepreneurship student plans, budgets, and brands a complete food truck business, then pitches it at a Food Truck Rally where visitors vote for their favorites. Their teacher, Linda Alvarez, is Vermont's 2026 Teacher of the Year. Watch the episode on the School Spotlight page.

Know a school we should visit? Suggest one through the short form on the School Spotlight page. It takes about two minutes, anyone can submit, and suggesting your own school is welcome. If a suggestion may be a fit, the Agency will follow up and coordinate scheduling and approvals with the district.

Contact: AOE Communications at [email protected]

Audience: Curriculum Directors, Principals, UPK Coordinators, and Early Educators

The Vermont Agency of Education is offering free access to ePyramid self-paced online courses designed to strengthen educators' use of Pyramid Model practices and support positive outcomes for young children. Participants can choose from foundational courses for infant/toddler, preschool, family child care, and early intervention settings, as well as specialized courses focused on topics such as supporting children with disabilities, reducing suspension and expulsion, trauma-informed care, practice-based coaching, and educator wellness. Each participant receives an individual account and can complete the learning at their own pace. For additional information about how to register, please see this flyer.

Contact: Leslie Freedman at [email protected]

Audience: Superintendents and Administrators

The Agency of Education has posted the updated Rule 4500: Internal Restraint/Seclusion Documentation Report (School Year 2026-2027). The documentation report has been revised to align with the updated Rule 4500 Online Reporting Form and incorporates feedback received from the field.

Schools can use the Internal Restraint/Seclusion Documentation Report to document incidents of restraint or seclusion that do not meet the criteria requiring submission to the Agency of Education. Both revised forms are available on the Agency's Restraint and Seclusion webpage.

For questions regarding Rule 4500 reporting or documentation requirements, please contact Ashley Riendeau.

Contact: Ashley Riendeau at [email protected]

Audience: Educators and School Leaders

The Agency of Education's Safe and Healthy Schools Division will offer Rule 4500 Guidance Series Office Hours throughout the 2026-2027 school year. These informal, interactive sessions are designed to provide educators and school leaders with ongoing support in understanding and implementing Rule 4500 and using the Rule 4500 Guidance Series.

Participants are invited to bring questions, discuss scenarios, and seek technical assistance related to prevention, restraint and seclusion requirements, reporting and documentation, debriefing, safety planning, and other Rule 4500 requirements. Rule 4500 emphasizes prevention and limits the use of restraint and seclusion to emergency situations involving an imminent and substantial risk of physical injury.

Office hours are offered every third Wednesday of the month, from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM throughout the school year (meeting link).

Additional information and session details are available on the AOE Safe and Healthy Schools Professional Learning Calendar.

Contact: Ashley Riendeau at [email protected]

Audience: Special Educators, Administrators, Caregivers

Beginning in school year 2025-26, the Vermont Agency of Education launched a three-year pilot program to offer facilitation of Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings through contracted facilitators at no cost. A Facilitated IEP (FIEP) meeting is a meeting in which the IEP team meets with a neutral facilitator to develop or amend a special education plan for a student. The student is the focus of the discussion and the student's educational needs are decided by the IEP team. The facilitator helps maintain open communication among team members and assists team members in resolving conflicts. The facilitator does not write or approve the IEP. The facilitator does not run the meeting or write the agenda. They simply participate as a neutral outside party to help the parties resolve potential disputes early. Anyone interested can read more about the pilot on our website and submit a joint request form for IEP Facilitation.

Contact: Special Education Team at[email protected]

Audience: Superintendents, Administrators, Curriculum Directors, Elementary Educators, Homeschool Educators

Register your third through sixth grade classes to participate in a national civic event taking place on Constitution Day, September 17, 2026. Your students can serve on a national jury for a fictitious state statute focused on "Running in the Hallways in Elementary School." The Nationwide Constitution Day Event Instructional Materials are aligned with the Vermont State Board of Education adopted College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. The event is live but will also be recorded for later viewing. It is recommended for third grade students, but fourth through sixth grade students can also participate.

Please register for the event ; it is advised that the provided instructional materials are utilized prior to the event to allow students to participate fully.

Contact: Martha Deiss at [email protected]

Audience: Vermont educators grades K-4, Art teachers

In 2024, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announced a new Agriculture Kids Calendar opportunity for students in grades K-4 to create agriculture imagery about our state. Vermont school classes that entered had the chance to have their imagery included in the 2025 Agriculture Kids Calendar. The Agency of Agriculture is once again offering that opportunity during the 2026-2027 school year. An email to elementary school Principals will be sent with a copy of the entry form and rules for participation. We hope this will spark conversations in the classroom about the many types of agriculture here in Vermont. Entries are due on November 1. Please see the Agency of Agriculture's link to download the entry form.

Contact: Scott Waterman at [email protected]

Audience: All Administrators, Educators and communities

The Vermont Agency of Education is hiring. To support our ongoing recruitment efforts and keep the field informed, all current open positions at the Agency will now be shared in the Weekly Field Memo (WFM). We encourage you to review, share, and distribute these opportunities throughout your schools, districts, and professional networks. View current openings on the VT Careers website. Thank you for helping us spread the word and connect talented professionals with meaningful work in Vermont education!

The following positions have been posted: