Maine school board’s anti-trans policies were shaped by conservative activists, records show
The district adopted rules separating school facilities by biological sex as determined at birth. (Getty)
Newly public emails and text messages are offering an inside look at how one Maine school district pushed to restrict transgender students, as well as the role conservative activists played behind the scenes.
A group of Maine residents used the state’s Freedom of Access Act to obtain hundreds of pages of communications which detailed how conservative groups such as Maine First shaped Regional School Unit 24’s policies regarding trans students, as reported by Bangor Daily News.
The Maine Monitor analysed more than 900 pages of records from Regional School Unit 24 which show board member Carla Jung regularly communicating with Heidi Sampson, head of the conservative Maine Education Initiative, as the district debated policies restricting which sports teams, bathrooms and other spaces transgender students could use.
Sampson advised Jung on potential legal representation, provided a sample school policy which targeted transgender people and encouraged the district to fight the state over its restrictions. During a December 2025 board meeting, Jung successfully moved to exclude the district’s longtime law firm and instead consult with Steve Smith Trial Lawyers, a firm that has been characterised as conservative.
The records also reveal significant disagreement within the board itself. Some members worried the new policy could put school administrators in the position of violating Maine law, while others questioned whether staff could, or should, be fired for refusing to enforce it.
At one point, board chair Jeffrey Alley questioned whether the board could face legal liability if it directed employees to “break the law”. He also asked what would happen if the superintendent refused to enforce the policy against a transgender student.
The district ultimately adopted rules separating school facilities by biological sex as determined at birth, aligning with the Trump administration’s position on transgender students and Title IX. Maine, however, is suing districts over policies it says violate the state’s Human Rights Act.
The documents also show Jung asking the superintendent about the sex listed on the birth certificate of a specific student, although the superintendent said he did not discuss an individual student with her.
