Home : Student Rights

ACLU of Washington State Challenges Suspicionless Urine Testing for Students (12/17/1999)
SEATTLE -- In the first legal action of its kind in Washington State, two sets of parents of high school students today filed a lawsuit challenging a school district's recently adopted policy of suspicionless urine testing for students who participate in extracurricular athletic activities.

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.

ACLU Asks Rhode Island to Overturn School "Zero Tolerance" Policy (12/02/1999)
South Kingstown, RI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island said today that it is seeking to overturn a "zero tolerance" policy after a high school senior was barred from all school-related activities for the entire academic year when she admitted to taking a sip of alcohol before a school dance.

ACLU Action Prompts School Board to Abandon Posting of Ten Commandments (11/24/1999)
LOS ANGELES--The ACLU of Southern California claimed victory today after the Val Verde Unified School District dropped plans to post copies of the Ten Commandments on the walls of school offices.

ACLU Condemns Local School District's Decision to Post 10 Commandments in School Offices (11/11/1999)
LOS ANGELES -- The decision this week by the Val Verde school board to ignore the U.S. Constitution and post copies of the Ten Commandments on school house walls is deeply troubling.

House Measure Runs Counter to American Tradition of Religious Freedom, Says ACLU (11/02/1999)
WASHINGTON -- A resolution to be voted on today by the House of Representatives tramples on the American tradition of religious freedom and tolerance, the American Civil Liberties Union said.

ACLU Challenges Louisiana School's Ban on Armbands As Violation of Students' First Amendment Rights (11/01/1999)
BOSSIER CITY, LA -- Reenacting a 30-year-old landmark constitutional debate, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a sophomore honor student who was threatened after she wore a black armband in protest of a mandatory school uniform policy.

ACLU of KS Sues on Behalf of Foreign Student Excluded from High School Sports and Activities (10/20/1999)
OTTAWA, KANSAS -- Acting on behalf of a South African high school student, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri today filed a federal lawsuit against the Kansas State High School Activities Association challenging a policy that excludes foreign students from participation in interscholastic activities.

ACLU Declares Victory in Ohio School Where Football Coach Led Prayers, Read Scripture (10/19/1999)
CLEVELAND -- An eight year history of religious indoctrination of student athletes at an Ohio public school ended today with the successful resolution of a lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio announced today.

ACLU Defends Missouri Honors Student Suspended for Remark in Internet Chat Room (10/14/1999)
ST. LOUIS -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri filed a federal lawsuit this week against a local school district for suspending an honors student who spoke his mind on an Internet chat room on the topic of school violence.

ACLU of GA Says School Strip Search Ruling Ignores Students' Rights (10/04/1999)
ATLANTA -- While ruling that school officials and police officers violated the Constitution when they strip-searched an entire class of fifth graders, a Georgia judge today said that none of the adults involved could be held liable for their actions.

ACLU Asks Virginia School Boards Not to Open Meetings with Prayer (10/01/1999)
RICHMOND, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today sent a letter to Virginia's public school boards asking them to refrain from their meetings with prayer in light of a recent court decision declaring the practice unconstitutional.

California Principal Sends Back Religious Text Books (09/16/1999)
BELRIDGE, CA -- Bowing to legal pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, a public elementary school in California has decided not to use Christian textbooks that describe other religions as cults and say God helped Columbus discover America, the Associated Press reported today.