Home : Student Rights

ACLU Challenges Detroit Police over Mass Searches of Public School Students (06/10/2004)
DETROIT -The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Detroit city policy that allows police and school officials to conduct mass searches of public school students.

Missouri School District Agrees to Stop Distributing Bibles to Students (06/03/2004)
KANSAS CITY, MO -- A Kansas City Metro Area school district has agreed to stop distributing Gideon International Bibles to elementary-school children on school premises, settling a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri on behalf of a Roman Catholic father of three.

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."

After ACLU Intervention on Behalf of Christian Valedictorian, Michigan High School Agrees to Stop Censoring Religious Yearbook Entries (05/11/2004)
DETROIT - The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today announced an out-of-court settlement between the Utica Community School District and a local student over the censorship of her 2001 yearbook entry. The student's entry had been deleted from the yearbook because it contained a passage from the Bible.

ACLU Defends Utah High School Students Censored for Wearing Gay-Themed Anti-Smoking T-Shirts (05/11/2004)
SALT LAKE CITY - The American Civil Liberties Union today came to the defense of a group of Utah high school students who were punished for wearing ""Queers Kick Ash"" t-shirts to school. School officials also threatened to ban the school's gay-straight alliance, and dozens of students are planning to wear the t-shirts today in protest.

Michigan School Reverses Student's Suspension For Wearing "Anarchy" T-Shirt (05/10/2004)
DETROIT - Officials with Bay City Schools have changed their minds about suspending a high school student for wearing a t-shirt with an anarchy symbol, after the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan appealed the suspension, the ACLU announced today.

ACLU of Ohio Urges School to Rescind Punishment for Student Who Criticized School in Off-Campus Postings (05/06/2004)
CLEVELAND -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today sent a letter to Lancaster City Schools' Interim Superintendent on behalf of the family of a student who was suspended and is currently being expelled for creating a website that skewers school administrators and staff. The website was created and maintained off school grounds, using no school resources.

ACLU Says Single-Sex Education Proposal Gets Failing Grade (03/03/2004)
WASHINGTON - Responding to the announcement of a new federal proposal encouraging single-sex public schooling, the American Civil Liberties Union today noted that, by the Secretary of Education's own admission, the research is incomplete on how such sex-separation impacts the quality of education.

After ACLU Intervention, University Drops Charges Against Arkansas Students Who Sought to Investigate Voter Fraud in Student Election (02/27/2004)
LITTLE ROCK-- The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas today announced the dismissal of disciplinary charges against two student government senators at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville who were charged with harassment after seeking to investigate voter fraud in a student election.

NYCLU Hails Victory For Students' Privacy Rights Following Lawsuit Over Forced Gynecological Exams (01/31/2004)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union today announced that it has reached a settlement in its federal lawsuit against the U. S. Department of Education for illegally suspending a group of female students and requiring them to submit gynecological records as a condition for reinstatement.

ACLU Releases Expert's Report on Maryland's Inadequate School Facilities (01/13/2004)
BALTIMORE -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland today released a report documenting a 5 to 10 percent differential on achievement tests between students in adequate school buildings and those in older buildings. At a minimum, the cost of remedying the school facility issues that most immediately impact student achievement is estimated at $2.5 billion.