Education

LD 1461 prohibits Maine school boards from requiring students, staff, or visitors to wear masks in schools or school activities. The bill defines a "mask mandate" as any school board policy imposing mask-wearing and explicitly bans school boards from implementing or enforcing such policies. It directs the Maine Department of Education to oversee compliance and allows penalties, including withholding state funds, for violations. This law directly affects school boards and administrative units across Maine, removing their authority to enforce mask requirements in educational settings.

LD 1395 requires school library databases used by Maine K-12 students to block child pornography, obscene material, and content depicting sexual exploitation of minors. Schools must withhold payment from non-compliant providers and treat repeated failures as a contract breach. The bill also removes an exception allowing schools to share obscene material for "educational purposes," closing a prior loophole. Additionally, it permits schools to integrate human trafficking prevention lessons into curricula, teaching students to recognize signs of sexual abuse and exploitation, and mandates staff training on these topics. These changes directly affect schools, library providers, and students across Maine.

LD 512 allows students in Maine secondary schools with 200 or fewer students to enroll in another school district. Parents must notify their home district by April 1st and provide the receiving school's acceptance letter by May 1st. The receiving district bills the home district for tuition based on the state's per-student funding rate, capped at the maximum allowable tuition. This change enables small-school students to access broader educational options within Maine's public school system.