The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf is established as a deaf and hard-of-hearing service provider pursuant to this chapter for the purpose of educating deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The center is a body politic and corporate and is an instrumentality and agency of the State. The exercise by the center of the powers conferred by this chapter is the performance of an essential public function by and on behalf of the State.   [PL 2021, c. 646, §1 (AMD).]

The center includes the Mackworth Island preschool, located at Mackworth Island, as an integrated preschool program for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and typically developing children, and includes early intervention services that include deaf and hard-of-hearing related services delivered to children from birth to under 3 years of age who are deaf and hard of hearing and statewide education and family services that are provided to schools by staff employed through the center, including, but not limited to, site-based programs, consultation, evaluation and specially designed instruction.   [PL 2021, c. 646, §1 (NEW).]