Eesha Pendharkar

1 week ago | mainemorningstar.com | Eesha Pendharkar

Mainers receiving public assistance can often wait years for an apartment to open up. In an effort to alleviate that backlog and address what many see as economic discrimination in Maine’s housing sector, lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit landlords from refusing to rent to tenants solely because they rely on programs such as general assistance or housing vouchers.

3 weeks ago | mainemorningstar.com | Eesha Pendharkar

When he was in second grade, Krystal Emerson’s son was physically restrained by a staff member or put in a small, isolated room at least 18 times over seven months during the 2023-24 school year at Ellsworth Elementary Middle School. He no longer attends school in person after the trauma of those experiences deepened his anxiety and emotional dysregulation, Emerson told Maine lawmakers during a public hearing on Wednesday.

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Eesha Pendharkar

Krystal Emerson testified before the Maine Legislature's Education Committee about her son's experience being repeatedly restrained and put in isolation by staff at Ellsworth Elementary Middle School on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star)When he was in second grade, Krystal Emerson’s son was physically restrained by a staff member or put in a small, isolated room at least 18 times over seven months during the 2023-24 school year at Ellsworth Elementary Middle School.

3 weeks ago | mainemorningstar.com | Eesha Pendharkar

Driven by increasing reports of student misbehavior, some teachers and administrators want to make it easier for staff to physically restrain students, a practice which is only supposed to be used in emergency situations under current state law. Most states have some limitations on when schools can use restraints and seclusion, temporarily immobilizing students and putting them in empty rooms until they can calm down.

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Eesha Pendharkar

Principal Victoria Duguay of River View Community School said that under the current law, educators aren’t allowed to escort students to safe spaces unless they consent — something that doesn’t always happen in the midst of a behavioral crisis.