Home : Student Rights

ACLU of Michigan Files Lawsuit on Behalf of High School Student Barred From Wearing Political T-Shirt (03/27/2003)
DETROIT -- Challenging a school's decision to prohibit a student from wearing an anti-war t-shirt, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today filed a lawsuit in federal court against Dearborn Public School officials for violating the First Amendment rights of their students.

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.

University of Maryland Students Seek to Overturn Free Speech Ban at College Park Campus (03/06/2003)
GREENBELT, MD-The American Civil Liberties Union and a private Washington law firm today filed a lawsuit on behalf of students at the University of Maryland at College Park who are challenging a university policy that places unreasonable restrictions on outdoor public speaking and leafleting on the university's 1,500-acre campus.

ACLU Supports MI High School Student Sent Home for Wearing Anti-War T-Shirt (02/25/2003)
DETROIT - The American Civil Liberties Union today said that it is looking into possible litigation on behalf of Bretton Barber, a junior at Dearborn High School who was told to go home if he did not remove a t-shirt with a picture of President Bush between the words "international terrorist."

ACLU of MA Defends Students Punished for Distributing Candy Canes with Religious Messages (02/21/2003)
NORTHAMPTON, MA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts today asked a federal district court in Springfield to protect the First Amendment rights of high school students who were disciplined by school officials for distributing candy canes with religious messages just before Christmas.

ACLU of Northern CA Challenges Mass Round-Up of High School Students for "Gang Database" (01/30/2003)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California filed a class-action lawsuit today challenging the unlawful round-up, detention and search of approximately 60 students whose names and photographs were then entered into a "gang database" maintained by the police.

Religious Code at HI High School a Relic of the Past Under Court Settlement (01/28/2003)
HONOLULU--The American Civil Liberties of Hawai'i today announced the settlement of a lawsuit filed in federal district court on behalf of a male high school student here who challenged the constitutionality of his school's honor code that in part requires pledging "love for God."

Citing Free Speech Concerns, ACLU of MA Seeks FBI Records on Campus Surveillance Activities (12/12/2002)
SPRINGFIELD, MA -- Citing concerns about free speech on campus, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts today said that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking details on government surveillance of college professors and students nationwide.

ACLU Assists RI High School Student Barred From Mentoring Children Because of Her Hair Color (12/11/2002)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today called on members of the Portsmouth School Committee to reverse an unwritten policy that bars an 18-year-old high school honors student from mentoring elementary school students because of her purple hair.

ACLU of Iowa Challenges State's Flag Desecration Law (12/02/2002)
DES MOINES-The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa today filed a lawsuit on behalf of two college students here who were prohibited by city and county officials from displaying a United States flag upside down in protest of U.S. government policies.

PA High School Pays $60,000 to Student Who Was Punished for Private Internet Message (11/18/2002)
PITTSBURGH - A local school district has agreed to pay $60,000 in partial settlement of lawsuit brought by a former student who was kicked off the volleyball team because he posted an Internet message criticizing an art teacher, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania announced today.

ACLU Raises Concerns About RI School's "Anti-Bullying" Policy (11/13/2002)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - - Rejecting concerns voiced by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, the East Providence School Committee last night gave final passage to an overly broad and vague "anti-bullying" policy. The ACLU said it is now considering a legal challenge to the policy.

ACLU Announces Settlement in Case Against Taxpayer Financing of Religion in Louisiana Abstinence-Only Programs (11/13/2002)
NEW ORLEANS-The American Civil Liberties Union today announced a settlement with the Louisiana governor's office in a case challenging the use of taxpayer dollars to fund religious activities in the Governor's Program on Abstinence.