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Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill making it easier to restrain and seclude students passed by Maine lawmakers
Gardiner-area Superintendent Patricia Hopkins testifies at an education committee public hearing in favor of a bill that would ease restrictions on restraint and seclusion. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star) Both chambers of the Maine Legislature advanced a version of a bill that would make it easier for school staff to restrain and seclude students, weakening a law passed in 2021 restricting the use of practices that experts say cause lasting trauma. Maine has historically led the country in its use of these practices, which include physically immobilizing students and placing them in small rooms, with educators predominantly using them on students with disabilities. Restraint and seclusion practices have been used more than 22,000 times in Maine in some years, and the real number is even higher, since many large districts do not submit their data to the state despite reporting being required by the 2021 law. This year, citing increased issues with student behavior, some teachers and administrators pushed to relax the restrictions. 'It broke him, and it broke me': Parents, educators describe trauma from restraint and seclusion Despite disability rights advocates sounding the alarm at the public hearing for the bill, lawmakers in both the Maine House of Representatives and the Senate voted to pass LD 1248. 'While most states are looking at bills this session that provide greater protections for students and more resources for educators, Maine is one of the few states that is looking to roll back protections for students,' said Ben Jones, director of legal and policy initiatives for Lives in the Balance, a Maine-based national nonprofit that offers training for schools on how to move away from restraint and seclusion.'It is a serious disappointment.' Under Maine law, restraint and seclusion are only supposed to be used in case of emergencies, where the student's behavior poses 'imminent risk of serious physical injury' to themselves or others. The original proposal changed that to risk of injury after some educators said they interpreted the law to mean they couldn't use these practices to prevent a potentially dangerous situation unless a teacher could be injured severely enough to seek outside medical care. 'Staff are being hit, they're being bit, but it doesn't meet the threshold of serious imminent danger, because a 5-year-old isn't going to [cause] an injury that requires medical care,' said Gardiner-area Superintendent Patricia Hopkins during the April 23 public hearing. The amended version of the bill defines 'serious physical injury' to mean 'any impairment of the physical condition of a person, whether self-inflicted or inflicted by someone else, that requires a medical practitioner, including, but not limited to, a school nurse, to evaluate or treat the person.' This definition was already included in Chapter 33, the Maine Department of Education rules governing restraint and seclusion. Another aspect of the bill allows educators to move students without their consent without having to document the incident as a restraint. Atlee Reilly of Disability Rights Maine told lawmakers at the work session for LD 1248 that if the bill passes, schools will no longer have to report these kinds of incidents where staff forcibly move students, which he explained will likely mean the number of documented restraints could decrease. 'What we're going to do is take a whole class of stuff — like the physical management of students that I think most people would look at and say, that child's being restrained — and say it's no longer restraint,' Reilly said. He added, 'It doesn't mean that people are going to be putting their hands on kids less.' Jones said these changes 'were conjured up by schools' lawyers who will surely use the new language as legal cover to protect schools, not kids.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine GOP lawmakers push suite of bills targeting trans students amid federal scrutiny
Rep. Elizabeth Caruso of Caratunk touted her proposal to bar transgender girls from competing in sports that align with their gender identity as a women's rights issue during a March 2025 press conference. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star) While Maine has so far remained steadfast in defending the rights of transgender students, state Republican lawmakers are pushing to roll back many of those protections — including access to bathrooms and locker rooms, participation in school athletics, and the use of affirming pronouns. At least 28 other states, led by Republican majorities, have enacted one or more of these restrictions, according to the Movement Advancement Project, which tracks thousands of anti-LGBTQ+ bills and laws nationwide. So far, Maine has stood apart, successfully safeguarding transgender students' rights — even prevailing in federal court, where a judge ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week to resume funding it had frozen over the state's inclusive policies. The months-long standoff between the state and federal government began after Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) posted a photo of a trans student athlete on her legislative Facebook page. That post went viral and soon thereafter President Donald Trump singled out Maine for its policy allowing trans girls to participate in girls' sports, prompting Gov. Janet Mills to tell the president she would see him in court. Since that exchange, at least three federal agencies opened investigations into Maine, claiming the state's inclusion of transgender athletes violated Title IX. While on the federal level, Mills has defended Maine's Human Rights Act, which protects people from discrimination based on gender identity, she has also said the issue is 'worthy of debate' on the state level. And internal communications obtained by the Maine Morning Star show staff from the Maine Attorney General's office flagged two proposed anti-trans bills to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Amid this federal scrutiny, those two bills — along with six others — are scheduled for a public hearing on Thursday. The bills threaten to 'roll back civil rights, ban transgender girls from participating on girls' sports teams, and open the door to harassment, bullying and abuse of all youth,' said Gia Drew, executive director of Equality Maine, in a statement about the legislation. 'Every student should have the freedom to be themselves, to be safe, and to feel respected at school.' Four bills about trans athletes and school bathrooms The two bills flagged for the Trump administration, LD 868 and LD 233, were sponsored by Republican Reps. Elizabeth Caruso of Caratunk and Dick Campbell of Orrington. Campbell's bill introduces a blanket ban on 'allowing a person whose biological sex assigned at birth is male' to participate in a girls athletic program. Caruso's bill is broader; allowing for a co-ed program, but also restricting access to bathrooms and locker rooms for trans girls. A third bill, LD 1134 introduced by Sen. Susan Bernard (R-Aroostook), similarly bans transgender girls from accessing girls athletics, school facilities and bathrooms. During a press conference in March, Caruso, Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith of Palermo and Libby, who posted the photo of the trans athlete, touted the proposals as a women's rights issue, arguing they are essential to 'protect girls' from losing to or being harmed by trans girls. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In addition to cosponsoring Bernard's bill, Smith also introduced legislation, LD 1704, specifically focused on banning school districts from adopting policies that allow students to use bathrooms aligned with their gender identity (as opposed to sex assigned at birth). Her bill also directs the Maine Department of Education to update its rules to reflect this change. Broader bills impacting Maine Human Rights Act Two bills specifically seek to weaken the Maine Human Rights Act, which was amended in 2021 to explicitly protect people from discrimination based on their gender identity. Caruso also introduced LD 1337, which would amend the provisions in the Maine Human Rights Act that govern unlawful educational discrimination 'to provide that they may not be construed to affect the rights of a female athlete' under Title IX. Title IX does not mention transgender students, so Caruso's bill is relying on the Trump administration's interpretation of the federal law. Caruso's bill would also exempt privately-run women's shelters from the human rights law. In a press conference last month, Rep. Michael Soboleski (R-Phillips) announced his bill, LD 1432, which would remove consideration of gender identity from the human rights act. During that event, Republicans called on Democrats and Mills to pass the bill to avoid the risk of losing federal funding. Supporters march and wave signs after a rally in Cumberland, Maine on Sunday, March 23, 2025, calling on Maine lawmakers, and local MSAD51 school officials, to support transgender student athletes. (Photo by Troy R. Bennett/ Maine Morning Star) 'The problem is that the term gender identity and the Human Rights Act is being interpreted way too broadly by the left,' said Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook). 'And what it's saying is there's no boundary between men's and women's spaces.' Earlier this year, Iowa became the first state in the nation to remove civil rights from a state law when its legislature voted to remove gender identity from its civil rights act. But Maine has protected trans people from discrimination in court for years before gender identity was added as a protected class, Drew from Equality Maine said. 'To some people, it may seem like gender identity as a protected class is this new idea or concept, but it really isn't,' she said. 'It's been really part of the conversations since 2005 at least, and it's been tested multiple times in the courts,' Drew added, pointing to several cases including the landmark 2014 ruling by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which found that denying a transgender girl access to the girls' restroom at her school violated her rights under Maine's Human Rights Act. Bill to ban students from using affirming pronouns Rep. Sheila Lyman (R-Livermore Falls), a retired teacher and member of the Education Committee, introduced legislation aiming to mandate that educators in public and charter schools refer to a student by the name and gender listed on their birth certificate. The only exception schools can make under Lyman's proposal, LD 1002, would be if upon a student's enrollment, a parent or guardian provides written permission or documentation showing a legal name change. Pronoun bans are also common across the country in Republican-led states, with some extreme versions such as Florida's law that criminalizes the use of affirming pronouns. The Maine Department of Education has encouraged districts to develop policies affirming LGBTQ+ students, including honoring their pronouns. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine looks to offer farmers zero-interest loans amid federal funding cuts
Farmers and supporters from across the state paraded in Augusta on April 16, 2025 to draw attention to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cuts to programs and grants that provide critical support to Maine's farming community. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star) Maine Sen. Stacy Brenner introduced a bill during a public hearing Thursday that would allow the state to better financially support farmers during unexpected events and emergencies. 'This is not a hypothetical concern,' Brenner (D-Cumberland) told the Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. 'Farmers across Maine are facing unprecedented challenges from increasing erratic and extreme weather to the uncertainty of federal support.' Brenner's bill, LD 1605, comes after more than 100 farmers and supporters — including U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree — paraded through Augusta last week to protest federal cuts to agricultural grants and programs. In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has cut several programs that have provided millions of dollars and critical support to Maine farms. Just last week, the federal agency ended the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, which has provided over $477 million to help Maine farms subsidize projects focused on integrating climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices. A cost-sharing program that helps integrate conservation practices into working lands is also under threat as the Trump administration has tried to freeze one of its funding sources: the Inflation Reduction Act. Beyond these sizable cuts, Maine farmers have expressed concern over President Donald Trump's back and forth on tariffs that they say could eat away at their already thin profit margins. With tractor parade, Maine farmers protest USDA cuts that could leave many in debt LD 1605 would allow the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to use one of its existing funds to grant zero-interest loans to farmers in the event of a disaster or loss of funds due to federal cuts. The proposal is co-sponsored by Republicans and Democrats in both chambers. 'This is smart, targeted investment in rural resilience, food security and the future of Maine's agriculture,' said Brenner, who also serves as president and CEO of Maine Farmland Trust and owns Broadturn Farm in Scarborough. The department is in favor of the bill because it currently lacks a mechanism to distribute rapid emergency funds, said Director Megan Patterson. She told the committee that this legislation could offer that 'crucial bridge funding' for farmers during unpredictable times. An original version of this bill sought to include food banks, which have also been hit by federal cuts to a program that would have provided $1.25 million to Maine over the next three years for food banks to source fresh produce from local growers. Brenner said she decided to move forward with a proposal that utilized existing funding levers and had to make the hard choice to leave food banks out. Good Shepherd Food Bank said it supports the bill even with the changes because of its strong partnership with Maine's farming community. Maine Farmland Trust and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association also both spoke in support of the bill. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Maine lawmakers reject bill that would bring back strict limits on needle exchanges
A sharps disposal box sits beside Needlepoint Sancutary's set up at Camp Hope, an unhoused encampment in Bangor. The syringe service program hands out provisions and clean syringes along with kits containing fentanyl testing strips and the overdose reversal drug Naloxone. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/Maine Morning Star) The Maine Legislature rejected a bill this week that would bring back limits on syringe services, following the recommendation of state public health experts and medical professionals. LD 219, introduced by Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio (D-Sanford), would have limited the number of clean syringes that certified needle exchange programs can hand out, reverting to a one-for-one ratio that Maine required until 2022, when it adopted rules that allow participants to bring in just one used syringe to receive 100 clean ones. The bill sparked lengthy debate in both chambers, particularly in the light of an HIV outbreak in Penobscot County that has primarily impacted the unhoused community that uses injectable drugs. Several lawmakers highlighted the issue of syringe litter on roads, parks and on private property, which they blamed on the higher number of syringes people can access. But ultimately, the majority of legislators supported the Health and Human Services Committee's recommendation to reject the bill, citing best practices supported by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and other public health and harm reduction organizations. The Senate voted 22-21 against the bill Thursday following a 76-69 House vote earlier this week. Republican Sen. Marianne Moore, who represents Washington County and sits on the Health Committee, expressed concern about the outbreak spreading to other counties, including her district. Needle exchanges face municipal pushback despite state, public health backing 'Limiting access to sterile syringes now will only make it harder to prevent, protect and control spread of disease in a county already underresourced and overburned,' she said. 'We all want cleaner streets, safer communities and less syringe litter,' she said, but if we are serious about addressing syringe waste, she encouraged her peers to increase funding for disposal kiosks and biohazard containers. 'Let's stay the course of evidence-based policy,' Moore added. Other Republican senators disagreed. Sen. Matt Harrington of York County and Sen. Scott Cyrway of Kennebec County raised concerns about drug overdoses and 'decriminalizing drug culture.' 'This idea that these centers are somehow reducing harm to me, is ridiculous,' Harrington said, referring to certified Syringe Service Programs. 'This continuous nature of enabling this behavior… is just proven to be exacerbating this issue.' Earlier this week, several Republican representatives also criticized the bill, saying they supported the limits the bill aimed to reimpose. 'All Mainers and their pets are at risk of a dirty needle stick,' said Rep. Ann Fredericks of Sanford. Sanford became one of the few municipalities to bring back limits in an emergency municipal ordinance last year, which bill sponsor Mastraccio said during her testimony helped reduce syringe litter. But according to the Maine CDC's syringe service report from 2023, released last May, most users bring in roughly the same amount of syringes they receive. Syringe services handed out 1.16 syringes for each one they collected last year, which means that despite some concern about the state's 100 to 1 ratio, meaning the additional needles from these programs are not driving street litter. Syringe service programs also provide sharps disposal containers and help reduce discarded waste in communities, according to Dr. Kinna Thakarar, a physician at Maine Medical Center and an associate professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine. Rep. Ambureen Rana (D-Bangor) said a rigid one-toone model doesn't match the reality of substance use and doesn't work. 'We have seen it in rural cities and towns alike. Public health policy must be grounded in science and best practices and lived realities of our communities,' she said. 'This bill is out of step with all three.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health experts urge caution as Maine lawmakers revisit vaccine exemptions
Dr. Puthiery Va, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cited the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas — now affecting 22 states — as a clear warning against rolling back the state's vaccine requirements. (Photo: Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star) Amid a growing measles outbreak in other parts of the country, Maine legislators heard testimony on Monday from parents, educators, and medical professionals on a proposal to repeal the state's vaccine requirements. The hearing reflected a sharp divide: some Republican lawmakers and parents called for reinstating religious exemptions, while health care professionals urged the state to maintain strict immunization rules to protect public health, especially in light of the anti-vaccine rhetoric of the federal government. 'It's frightening to see that the purveyors of these falsehoods are now in positions of authority in Washington,' said Dr. Sydney Sewall, a longtime pediatrician in Hallowell, said in an apparent reference to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'Their misleading statements, which generally amplify the risks of vaccines and downplay the dangers of these diseases, have given strength to the anti-vaccine movement.' Two bills — LD 727 by Rep. Tracy Quint (R-Hodgdon) and LD 174 by Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford) — would reinstate nonmedical exemptions for school-required vaccines, six years after that provision was repealed. Supporters of the legislation raised concerns about vaccine ingredients and enforcement, particularly regarding immigrant students. Opponents, including doctors, school nurses, and public health officials, pushed back with scientific evidence and public health data showing that Maine's stricter vaccine policy has worked. Since the 2019 law ending religious and philosophical exemptions, the state's vaccination rate has risen from about 94 to 97%—enough to surpass the 95% herd immunity threshold. Public health advocates also pointed to Mainers' support for the law in a 2021 referendum, when voters rejected an attempt to reinstate nonmedical exemptions. Dr. Puthiery Va, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cited the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas — now affecting 22 states — as a clear warning. 'The elimination of these requirements not only threatens the health of students, but also increases the likelihood of school and community outbreaks, disrupting education, creating an unnecessary burden on our health care system and financial burden,' Va said. Experts also cited the measles outbreak, which has resulted in two deaths, as an urgent reason to double down on vaccination requirements. 'While the science supporting vaccines hasn't changed — we still consider them to be safe and effective — the danger facing unprotected children seems to have escalated,' Sewall said. Drinkwater argued that Maine's law is 'not neutral,' and that religious exemptions to vaccines were protected by federal civil rights. A handful of parents and students who chose to leave public schools because of the vaccine requirements supported both bills, citing the sacrifice that unvaccinated children had to make to miss out on school and learning, as well as isolation from their peers due to being unable to participate in school sports and other activities. 'When they passed the law and I no longer had teachers around to help me, it became a struggle with my math skills,' said 14-year-old Caliope Murray-Trefts, who had to leave school when the vaccine requirements took effect. 'When I think about school now, I think how unfair it is … that I can't do any of that.' Some lawmakers and speakers, including Rep. Barbara Bagshaw (R-Windham), a member of the Education Committee, claimed there is a double standard for immigrant students. 'If our children have to be vaccinated, there's not the same standard for people coming from other countries that don't have the same requirements,' Bagshaw said. 'We're not enforcing that they take the same vaccinations.' But school nurses working in diverse districts — including Portland and South Portland — disputed those claims in public testimony and interviews with the Maine Morning Star. They explained that schools follow the same immunization process for all students, regardless of immigration status or where they moved from: schools review vaccination records and work with local public health networks to get students up to date, following Maine's 90-day compliance window. 'There is absolutely no difference' between immunization requirements for immigrant students and students who move from other U.S. states, said Becky Bell, a registered nurse with Portland Public Schools. Immigration status, she told the committee, 'has no bearing on whether they get immunized.' In fact, most immigrant students who move to Maine are already fully vaccinated, according to South Portland school nurse Mary Robbins and guidance clerk Natalie Dunn, who monitor immunization records in the district. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
