Home : Student Rights

New Jersey Supreme Court Rules That Schools Must Protect Students from Bias-Based Bullying (02/21/2007)
NEWARK, NJ - In a major victory for student rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey praised a decision released today by the New Jersey Supreme Court that extends anti-discrimination protections to schoolchildren subjected to bias-based bullying and harassment.

Defense Department Reforms Student Military Recruiting Database to Settle NYCLU Lawsuit (01/09/2007)
NEW YORK - In an agreement to settle a lawsuit brought by the New York Civil Liberties Union on behalf of several high school students, the Department of Defense today announced major changes to its database of information about high school students, which is used for military recruitment efforts. The changes will protect the privacy of American high school students and give students and their families more tools to exempt themselves from aggressive military recruitment in their schools and their homes, the NYCLU said.

ACLU Files Federal Lawsuit On Behalf of Pennsylvania Student Suspended Over Remark (12/19/2006)
PITTSBURGH — The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a former Beaver County student charging that the school district violated the student’s First Amendment rights when it punished him for a single, spontaneous remark he made in response to repeated teasing.

ACLU of New Jersey Applauds Ruling in Favor of Student's Right to Sing "Awesome God" (12/12/2006)
NEWARK, NJ - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today praised a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Freda L. Wolfson protecting the religious expression rights of students. The court held that a Frenchtown Elementary School student had the right to sing the song "Awesome God" at a school talent show. The ACLU of New Jersey submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the student.

ACLU of Rhode Island Files Lawsuit Challenging Ban of High School Yearbook Photo (12/12/2006)
PROVIDENCE, RI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Portsmouth High School senior Patrick Agin, whose planned yearbook photo was rejected by the principal on the grounds that it violates the school district's "zero tolerance" policy for weapons. In the photo, Patrick is dressed in a medieval chain mail coat with a prop sword over his shoulder, representing his long-standing interest in medieval history.

ACLU Presents "inSECURITY," the New Spoken-Word Album from Steve Connell & Sekou (tha misfit) (12/12/2006)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union will host a CD release party tonight for “inSECURITY,” a new live CD written and performed by award-winning artists Steve Connell and Sekou (tha misfit). The event will be held at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City and will feature a special performance by the artists.

What Good are Rights if You Don’t Know You Have Them? (11/02/2006)
ORONO, ME -- Do students shed their rights at the school house door? Maybe some of them. High school students from northern Maine will have chance to talk about what they can and can’t say or do, how much privacy they can expect, and what they can do to get involved and make change in their school, town or state when they gather for “Life, Liberty, &…,” a civil liberties conference for young people hosted by the Maine Civil Liberties Union. The event takes place Friday, November 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at the University of Maine at Orono Memorial Union Bangor Room.

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.

ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Sex-Segregated School in Louisiana (08/02/2006)
DENHAM SPRINGS, LA -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Louisiana today filed a lawsuit on behalf of thirteen-year-old eighth grader Michelle Selden who wants to have the same educational opportunities as boys. She wants to stop the Livingston Parish School Board from segregating students on the basis of sex in the coming school year.

Single Sex School in Louisiana Denies Girls and Boys Same Educational Opportunities (07/31/2006)
NEW ORLEANS -- The American Civil Liberties Union today released a demand letter sent last week to Southside Junior High School officials in the Livingston Parish School District. The letter called for the immediate stop to plans to segregate students on the basis of sex in the coming school year.

Student Rights: Zero Tolerance Policies, Equal Protection and Racial Profiling (07/20/2006)
MIAMI; The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida’s Greater Miami Chapter presents the last episode of this season’s informative ;FreedomWatch; series, airing on Miami-Dade;s Cable-TAP channel. The show, which is currently running, takes a look at “zero-tolerance” policies aimed at students and asks the question: Do Zero Tolerance Policies Provide Equal Protection -- or are these policies based on Racial Profiling?

ACLU of Florida Says Veterans for Peace to Be Granted Equal Access With Military Recruiters in Pinellas County Schools (07/17/2006)
LARGO, FL – The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida announced today that the Pinellas School District has agreed to allow Veterans for Peace the same access to students that military recruiters receive, for the purpose of presenting alternative career information.

ACLU Freedom Files: "Youth Speak" Showcases Young People Who Stand Up for Their Rights (06/05/2006)
NEW YORK - The ACLU Freedom Files helps viewers get to know the everyday people whose rights are threatened and shows the human side of our fight to protect civil liberties. The "Youth Speak" episode, premiering this June, tells the stories of young people who fought back when their rights were violated and highlights activists who are working to protect the rights of their peers.

In Landmark Florida Case, ACLU Preserves Right of Students Not to Recite Pledge (06/01/2006)
WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today applauded a district court ruling striking down a state law requiring students to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge will continue to be recited in public school classrooms, but the unconstitutional practice of forcing all students to stand and recite the pledge will be halted.

ACLU of Ohio Successfully Defends Student’s Free Speech (04/27/2006)
HOLLAND, OH -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today applauded a decision by the Springfield School Board to reinstate eighth-grade student Jessica Schoch. Schoch was not allowed to attend school or participate in extracurricular activities after school officials discovered a MySpace.com profile that parodied a school administrator.