All youth in Maine should be safe at school, including LGBTQ+ youth. This ought to be obvious. So we are all deeply disappointed to see that playbooks used in other states that fearmonger about transgender young people in our communities have made their way to Maine.

An investigation into reports of use of force at Long Creek this summer has confirmed that youth were subjected to chokeholds and prone restraints, in violation of the youth prison’s policy.

The Department of Corrections is changing oversight at Long Creek, and law enforcement are investigating allegations of dangerous use of force at the youth prison.

The calls come after reports of guards continuing to use dangerous force against incarcerated young people.

A complaint filed by Maine civil rights organizations initiated the DOJ investigation

Court of Appeals affirms lower court’s preliminary injunction, blocking the student’s suspension. Writing for the Court, Judge Lynch found, the school, “is not permitted to punish a student merely because her speech causes argument on a controversial topic.”