Home : Student Rights

ACLU of Virginia Seeks Guarantee of Student Free Speech in Prince William Schools (04/24/2006)
RICHMOND, VA– The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today said it has asked the Prince William County Schools to make an unambiguous statement guaranteeing free speech rights for students and to ensure fair treatment for students who wear message-bearing T-shirts. The request comes in the wake of the controversial punishment last month of two Occoquan Elementary School students – ages 5 and 8 -- for wearing T-shirts to school proclaiming “Latinos Forever.”

NYCLU Lawsuit Challenges DoD’s Unauthorized Military Recruiting of High School Students (04/24/2006)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union brought a lawsuit against the Department of Defense in federal court today, charging the Department with violating American high school students’ privacy rights and federal law by maintaining an unauthorized database of personal student information for use in military recruitment efforts.

ACLU of San Diego Defends 15-Year-Old High School Honors Student Disciplined for Wearing an American Flag in Her Back Pocket (04/13/2006)
SAN DIEGO -- Fallbrook Union High School officials violated the First Amendment when they ordered 15-year-old honors student Malia Fontana to remove the small American flag she was carrying in her back pocket, the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties said in a letter delivered to the school today.

School Fees Ruled Unconstitutional After ACLU of Indiana Challenge (03/30/2006)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Supreme Court today ruled in favor of parents represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana in a state constitutional challenge to mandatory student fees charged by Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation for all K-12 students.

ACLU Announces Winners of Second Annual Stand Up for Freedom Contest: 3,500 Young People Get Creative About Defending Civil Liberties (03/15/2006)
NEW YORK – Completing a key phase of their yearlong campaign aimed at inspiring young Americans to defend civil liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union today announced the winners of the second annual Stand Up for Freedom Contest. Launched on July 4th, 2005, the competition challenged young people across the country to get creative about defending their rights by producing a TV public service announcement (PSA) or writing an essay on today’s pressing civil liberties issues.

ACLU of Ohio Files Lawsuit Over School’s Strip Searches of Teenage Girls (02/02/2006)
COLUMBUS, OH - The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of eight students who were illegally searched by staff at the Vern Riffe Career Technology Center on January 20, 2006. The lawsuit names the school district, the superintendent and three staff members as defendants. In all, 20 students were searched.

ACLU of New Jersey Helps Protesting Student "Skirt" School's No-Shorts Policy (01/25/2006)
NEWARK, NJ - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today announced that it has reached an agreement with the Hasbrouck Heights School District on behalf of Michael Coviello, a 17-year-old male student who was prohibited from wearing a skirt to school.

ACLU Fights to Keep Three Students from New Orleans in Mississippi Public School (01/23/2006)
JACKSON, MS -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi today announced that it will represent three displaced students from New Orleans at a hearing before members of the Jackson Public Schools disciplinary committee. The ACLU charged that school officials are discriminating against the students by subjecting them to harsher disciplinary action than students who live in Jackson.

ACLU of Maryland Calls for Acclaimed Books to be Returned to School Shelves (12/08/2005)
WESTMINSTER, MD – Following a petition drive by Winters Mill High School students, he American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland is calling for an end to the censorship that has stripped several books from the shelves of school libraries.

ACLU Calls on Public Schools Across Maryland to Protect Students’ First Amendment Rights (11/29/2005)
BALTIMORE -- Acting on behalf of public school students who have been harassed or punished for declining to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland is calling on school officials to take action to ensure that teachers and administrators understand the First Amendment rights of students.

Civil Rights Groups in New Mexico Denounce High School Contest Soliciting Anti-Gay, Anti-Choice Student Essays (11/22/2005)
FARMINGTON, NM – The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups are protesting an essay contest at Farmington's Piedra Vista High School that asked students to explain why preserving marriage between men and women is vital society and why unborn children merit respect and protection.

ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Rhode Island School District for Withholding Public Records (10/05/2005)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island announced today that it has taken legal action against the Foster-Glocester School District for violating the state's open records law by withholding documents detailing its policies on releasing student information to military recruiters.