Zoie Saunders, Secretary | Vermont Agency of Education
The Vermont Agency of Education has issued its latest weekly update, highlighting a range of initiatives and resources for the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
In a message to students and educators, the Secretary expressed appreciation as schools complete their first week back. The full message is available on the Agency's website.
The Agency announced an upcoming Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) introductory training scheduled for September 3. This virtual session will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be led by national experts in school behavioral threat assessment. The training meets annual requirements set by Act 29 of 2023. Both current and prospective BTA team members are encouraged to register through the BTA Annual Training Registration webpage or visit the AOE BTA webpage for further details.
For those who participated in Special Education Knowledge Week from August 18-21, the Agency is seeking feedback through a post-event survey.
The School Safety Back-to-School Campaign is also underway, providing K-12 schools with information and guidance for a safe return to classrooms. The campaign offers resources such as reading lists, prevention tip sheets, communication toolkits, and social media materials via SchoolSafety.gov’s Back-to-School Campaign website.
Family and community engagement remains a focus, with new guidance on making meetings inclusive and effective, along with sample questions to help families discuss attendance with teachers. Additional resources are now available on the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement web page, including materials for English learners and a manual on personalized learning plans.
The Vermont Community Green Mountain Challenge invites students aged 13-18 across the state to participate in a competition where teams design games addressing real community challenges. Supported by adult leads and professional mentors, student teams can register at the VT Tech Challenge webpage. Final projects will be presented at Tech Jam on October 25; top entries will receive prizes such as cash awards, tech tours, and visits to the State House.
For more information about these programs or how to participate, contacts are provided within each section of the Agency’s update.
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