A bill in the Maine legislature that would ban public school teachers from practicing "indoctrination" — and contained a provision that could adversely affect science education — was defeated in June 2023.
House Paper 1034 (PDF), would, if enacted, have required the state board of education to adopt rules to prevent public school teachers in the state from engaging in what it describes as "political, ideological[,] or religious advocacy." The rules would in particular have required teachers to "provide students with materials supporting both sides of a controversial issue being addressed and to present both sides in a fair-minded, nonpartisan manner," where a "controversial issue" is defined as "a point made in the most recent electoral party platform of any party that is qualified for the ballot at the state or federal level." As Ars Technica (January 29, 2019) observed in discussing a spate of similar measures, "a large number of state party platforms specifically mention evolution and climate change."
After the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs voted 9-4 to recommend that the bill not pass, the House of Representatives voted to accept the committee's recommendation on June 20, 2023, and the Senate followed suit on the following day.
