American Civil Liberties Union

Student Rights:
Constitutional violations are far too common in public schools across the country. Teachers and administrators have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for the students that is conducive to learning. They also have a responsibility to respect each student's individual rights. Simply put, students have rights too. Learn more and take action to protect the rights guaranteed to all Americans.


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Student Rights : Discrimination : Press Releases

ACLU of New Jersey Survey: Immigrant Students at Risk of Exclusion in One Out of Four Schools (08/30/2006)
NEWARK, NJ -- The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today called on the state Department of Education to put an end to school practices that violate state and federal laws by requiring that parents who wish to enroll their children in public school provide private information about them, such as their Social Security numbers. This practice has the most chilling effect on immigrant students seeking to register for school, the ACLU said.

ACLU Wins Major Lawsuit Against Sex-Segregated School in Louisiana (08/03/2006)
DENHAM SPRINGS, LA -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Louisiana today announced victory in a lawsuit filed on behalf of thirteen-year-old eighth grader Michelle Selden who sought to have the same educational opportunities as boys. The Livingston Parish School Board has agreed to refrain from segregating students on the basis of sex in the coming school year.

Virginia School's Move to Block Gay Speaker is Discriminatory, Says ACLU (03/10/2005)
MIDLOTHIAN, VA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today asked Manchester High School in Chesterfield County to allow gay author Greg Herren to speak at the school tomorrow afternoon as originally planned. Herren's invitation to address the members of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance and other students was rescinded last week by Principal Peter Koste, who claimed that ""concerns from the community"" and possible ""inappropriate"" content led him to cancel the talk.

ACLU Sues Detroit Hotel Over Age Discrimination (10/20/2004)
DETROIT -The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today filed an age discrimination lawsuit against a downtown Detroit hotel that refused to rent a room to a 20-year-old Army Reservist and his 18-year-old girlfriend because they were too young.

ACLU and California Officials Reach Settlement in Historic Equal Education Lawsuit (08/13/2004)
LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union and California officials today announced they had reached a settlement agreement in the class action education lawsuit Williams v. California.

Michigan School District Takes Action to Stop Racism After Black Student Is Attacked in "KKK Game" (05/19/2004)
DETROIT - As the country focuses on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case that ended government-imposed segregation in public schools, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today announced the settlement of a complaint filed on behalf of an African American student who was the victim of racial harassment and attacked by white students in a so-called "game of KKK."

ACLU and National Center for Lesbian Rights Help CA School District Fight Lawsuit Over Theater Program Promoting Diversity (06/02/2003)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union and a gay rights organization today filed a motion to intervene in an existing lawsuit on behalf of a local parents group and a children's theater company who support a local school district that has come under fire for providing diversity education through the theater arts.

ACLU of IL Asks Court to Maintain Desegregation Agreement for Chicago Public Schools (03/21/2003)
CHICAGO--Saying that it is crucial to keep in place a voluntary agreement designed to combat historic racial segregation in Chicago's public schools, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and a coalition of civil rights groups today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in federal court asking that the agreement remain in place.

ACLU Warns Arkansas School to Stop Persecuting Gay Student (03/13/2003)
JACKSONVILLE, AR -- The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging officials at Jacksonville Junior High School over repeated punishment of a 14-year-old student for being openly gay. In a letter to school officials sent today, the ACLU demanded that the school stop violating the student's rights and remove all unconstitutional disciplinary actions taken against him from his record by March 21 or face legal action.

ACLU Responds to Student Protests Against Kentucky Gay-Straight Alliance (11/07/2002)
NEW YORK - Last week, officials at Boyd County High School in Ashland, Kentucky granted a seven-month-old request by students to start a Gay-Straight Alliance club at the school after the national American Civil Liberties Union and its Kentucky affiliate sent a letter explaining the school's legal obligation under the federal Equal Access Act to let the club form.

ACLU Calls on CA University to Insure a Safety and Tolerance in the Wake of Student Demonstrations (05/17/2002)
SAN FRANCISCO--The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California today sent a letter urging San Francisco State University officials ""to create an environment conducive to peaceful protest and education"" after officials turned over tapes of recent student protests to the District Attorney's office for possible hate crimes violations.  

ACLU Charges Los Angeles School District for Failing to Fulfill its Promises to Special Education Students (08/14/2001)
LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today filed a formal complaint on behalf of special education students and their parents against administrators overseeing the Chanda Smith consent decree, an agreement requiring the Los Angeles Unified School District to identify and educate special education students in a manner consistent with state and federal law. 

ACLU of Kentucky Launches Pocket Card Project to Prevent Student Harassment and Discrimination in Schools (06/25/2001)
LOUISVILLE, KY - The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, in partnership with the Hate Free Schools Coalition, today launched the Student Pocket Card Project to inform students of their right to attend schools free from harassment and discrimination. 

Gay Students Face Harassment and Bullying (06/20/2001)
ATLANTA -- A recent survey reveals that gay high school students are frequently harassed and bullied, and that school officials do very little to help them, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. 

Gay Students Fight Harassment (06/03/2001)
SAN FRANCISCO -- A state law took effect last year prohibiting harassment against gays in the schools, but few districts in California have taken major steps to implement the law, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

New York High Court Hears Arguments in ACLU Case Charging Yeshiva University with Anti-Gay Housing Bias (04/24/2001)
NEW YORK - The first lawsuit in the nation challenging anti-gay policies in university housing goes before New York state's highest court today, as the Court of Appeals in Albany hears arguments in the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit against Yeshiva University. 

ACLU of Colorado Challenges School Censorship of 8-Year-Old's Science Project on Racism (02/28/2001)
BOULDER, CO--In a letter sent to local school officials, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado is demanding that an unconstitutional policy that resulted in banning a third- grader's project from a science fair be changed.

ACLU Sues Rural California School for Anti-Gay Climate; Case Highlights National Epidemic in Rural Schools (01/24/2001)
VISALIA, CA -- Breaking new ground in the ongoing struggle against anti-gay harassment and violence in rural schools nationwide, the American Civil Liberties Union today filed an expanded federal lawsuit against a school district in California's Central Valley, seeking to eliminate a hostile, homophobic climate and enact systematic school reform.

ACLU Will Take Battle Against Yeshiva University's Anti-Gay Housing Discrimination to State's Highest Court (05/15/2000)
NEW YORK--Vowing to press ahead against a common form of anti-gay discrimination nationwide, the American Civil Liberties Union today said it will appeal a New York Supreme Court ruling that affirms Yeshiva University's policy prohibiting same-sex pairs from living in couples' student housing.

ACLU Condemns School Board for Blocking Gay-Straight Club at a Southern California High School (12/08/1999)
LOS ANGELES -- The ACLU of Southern California today condemned the Board of Education of the Orange Unified School District for refusing to allow the creation of a Gay-Straight Alliance Club at El Modena High School.

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