News & Commentary

Last week, the Department of Education released a very important guidance document for schools looking to offer single-sex classes. The crux of it is great news, and very much in line with what the ACLU has been saying for decades: single-sex education programs based on sex stereotypes are unlawful.

Last week, the United Nations Committee Against Torture issued a report in which it took the United States to task on a wide range of issues, from lack of accountability for torture and overuse of immigration detention to criminal justice practices and police accountability. This report came after a month spent reviewing U.S. compliance with a major human rights treaty, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which the U.S. ratified in 1994. The last compliance review was in 2006.

Last week, the public radio show “This American Life” dedicated an entire show to the connection between school discipline policies and involvement in our criminal justice system, a phenomenon known as the school-to-prison-pipeline.  

If you haven't yet, check out our new video and resource page on Maine's anti-bullying law. October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we want to make sure that every student in Maine knows that they have rights when it comes to bullying at school.

This morning, I visited three different classes at Portland High School to talk about Maine’s anti-bullying law and how it protects students all across the state. It’s a subject we’ve been devoting a lot of energy towards as the new school year ramps up, and we have some exciting new resources to share as a result.

Today we filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Bar Harbor couple who were arrested for observing and attempting to film an interaction between several police officers and a woman in downtown Portland.

Next week we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Constitution Day in honor of the day in 1787 when our founding document was signed in Philadelphia.

Many schools in Maine are getting ready to open their doors this week for the start of a new year, and here at the ACLU of Maine we’re getting ready to open our resources up to students, teachers, and educators interested in learning more about civil liberties and civil rights.

This Friday a new youth curfew law, one of the strictest in the nation, will go into effect in Baltimore. It will require unaccompanied children under the age of 14 to be indoors by 9pm and 14, 15 and 16-year-olds to be indoors by 10pm on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends and during the summer. Children found out after the curfew will be picked up by police and brought to one of two curfew centers where the child's parents will then be called. Parents can face anywhere from a $30-$500 fine.