Student Rights

Learn more about conflicts over what rights students have at school
An American flag is seen upside down at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, May 31, 2024.
An American flag hangs upside down at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, May 31, 2024. The think tank has called on states to enact legislation that would limit undocumented students' access to free, public education.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
States Heritage Foundation Targets Undocumented Students’ Access to Free Education
The conservative group put forward Project 2025, which has shaped Trump administration policy.
Ileana Najarro, February 20, 2026
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3 min read
Students protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the Pflugerville Justice Center after walking out of their classes, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Pflugerville, Texas.
Students protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the Pflugerville Justice Center after walking out of their classes on Feb. 2, 2026, in Pflugerville, Texas. Student walkouts across the country to protest U.S. immigration enforcement are drawing concerns about safety from school administrators and pushback from some politicians.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
School & District Management Free Speech Debates Resurface With Student Walkouts Over ICE Raids
As students walk out to protest immigration enforcement tactics, schools face questions about safety and speech.
Evie Blad, February 5, 2026
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5 min read
Students carrying pride and transgender flags leave Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2023, after walking out of the school in protest of the Temecula school district policy requiring parents to be notified if their child identifies as transgender.
Students carrying pride and transgender flags leave Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2023, after walking out of the school in protest of the Temecula school district policy requiring parents to be notified if their child identifies as transgender.
Anjali Sharif-Paul/The Orange County Register via AP
Law & Courts Appeals Court Halts Ruling Letting Teachers Disclose Students' Gender Identity
A federal appeals court has temporarily paused enforcement of the ruling but has not yet decided whether to grant a longer-term stay.
Kristen Taketa, The San Diego Union-Tribune, January 2, 2026
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3 min read
Teacher’s aide Amelia Mester, wrapped in a Pride flag, urges Escondido Union High School District not to have employees notify parents if they believe a student may be transgender in November 2025. A policy on the issue in the city’s elementary school district is the subject of a federal class-action lawsuit in which a judge just sided against the district.
Teacher’s aide Amelia Mester, wrapped in a Pride flag, urges Escondido Union High School District not to have employees notify parents if they believe a student may be transgender. A policy on the issue in the city’s elementary school district is the subject of a federal class-action lawsuit in which a judge just ruled against the district.
Charlie Neuman for The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS
Law & Courts Schools Can’t Bar Teachers From Telling Parents If Kids Are Transgender, Judge Rules
The injunction bans any public school employee from misleading parents about their child’s gender presentation at school.
Kristen Taketa, The San Diego Union-Tribune, December 24, 2025
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5 min read
Photo of stone columns.
E+
Law & Courts Federal Appeals Court Upholds 8th Grader's Expulsion Over Gun Comments in Class
Shortly after a nearby mass school shooting, a student allegedly discussed bringing a gun to school.
Mark Walsh, December 22, 2025
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3 min read
Illustration of the arm of Statue of Liberty with various speech bubbles coming out of the top of her torch
DigitalVision Vectors
Law & Courts Court Rejects Discipline of Student Whose Post Mocked George Floyd's Death
An appeals court ruled that a student's off-campus social media post is constitutionally protected.
Mark Walsh, October 31, 2025
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4 min read
A Let's Go Brandon flag and an American flag fly during the NASCAR Cup Series M&M'S Fan Appreciation 400 on July 24, 2022, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
A Let's Go Brandon flag and an American flag fly during the NASCAR Cup Series on July 24, 2022, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. The slogan originated at a 2021 NASCAR race in Talladega, Ala., and quickly became a coded way of criticizing then-President Joe Biden. An appeals court in a free speech case said school administrators were within bounds insisting a student not wear a shirt with the slogan because of its implied vulgarity.
Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via AP Images
Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs School Administrators Who Banned 'Let's Go Brandon!' Shirts
A coded message of political criticism was vulgar and can be barred in schools.
Mark Walsh, October 16, 2025
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5 min read
ELL Aide Katherine Alfaro works with 4th grader Catarina Mendez Pedro at Russellville Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
English-learner aide Katherine Alfaro works with 4th grader Catarina Mendez Pedro at Russellville Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022. A national coalition of English-learner educators and advocates have called on federal officials to reinstate federal guidance for these students.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners Advocates Call for Return of Rescinded Federal Guidance on English Learners
The Trump administration quietly rescinded 2015 guidance on English learners' federal rights.
Ileana Najarro, September 18, 2025
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3 min read
Stonewall Jackson High School in Shenandoah County.
The Shenandoah County, Va. school board voted in May 2024 to rename Mountain View High School as Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary as Ashby Lee Elementary four years after the names had been removed. Now, a judge has found the decision to rename the high school violated students' free speech rights.
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Law & Courts School's Confederate Name Violates Students' Free Speech, Judge Says
The district was the first to reverse course and bring back Confederate names for its schools. The litigation is ongoing.
Brooke Schultz, September 10, 2025
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3 min read
Hundreds of students stand together in prayer during an Ash Wednesday service at Flint Powers Catholic High School on March 5, 2025, in Flint, Mich.
Hundreds of students stand together in prayer during an Ash Wednesday service at Flint Powers Catholic High School on March 5, 2025, in Flint, Mich. President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. Department of Education will issue guidance about the right to prayer in schools.
Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal via AP
Federal Trump Says Ed. Dept. Will Release New Guidance on School Prayer
The federal agency will wade into an intensified debate over the place of religion in schools.
Brooke Schultz, September 8, 2025
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2 min read
Photo of Dear Colleague letter.
The 2015 Dear Colleague letter outlining the rights of English learners has been rescinded, now with a notice at the top.
Education Week + Getty
English Learners Trump Admin. Quietly Rescinds Guidance on English Learners’ Rights
The 2015 Dear Colleague letter detailed how schools and districts can comply with federal requirements in English-learner education.
Ileana Najarro, August 20, 2025
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4 min read
Students for Life of America hold a rally at Supreme Court with multiple members of Congress the night before the court is hearing Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Nov. 30, 2021.
Members of Students for Life of America hold a rally at the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 30, 2021, the night before the court heard arguments in <i>Dobbs</i> v. <i>Jackson Women's Health Organization</i>, the case in which it removed federal constitutional protection for abortion. This week, a federal appeals court upheld an Indiana school's refusal to allow a student who had started a school chapter of the group to post flyers with anti-abortion messages on school walls.
Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via AP
Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs School in Anti-Abortion Club's Flyer Dispute
A federal appeals court upheld an Indiana school district's limitation on a Students for Life club's political messages on school walls.
Mark Walsh, August 15, 2025
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3 min read
Liam Morrison, pictured in the "There Are Only Two Genders" shirt at the heart of his Supreme Court case, L.M. v. Town of Middleborough.
Liam Morrison, pictured in the "There Are Only Two Genders" shirt at the heart of his Supreme Court case, <i>L.M.</i>&nbsp;v.&nbsp;<i>Town of Middleborough</i>.
Courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom
Law & Courts Supreme Court Won’t Hear ‘Two Genders’ Student T-Shirt Case
Over two justices' dissent, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case of a student barred from wearing an anti-transgender T-shirt.
Mark Walsh, May 27, 2025
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6 min read
Illustration showing a young boy wearing a bookbag and standing on an American flag ground that is full of cracks. There is a metal fence separating him from the school building in the background.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
English Learners Do Teachers' Political Beliefs Shape Outcomes for English Learners?
Educators and experts spoke about the implications behind teachers opposing federal mandates on English learners and immigrant students.
Ileana Najarro, May 1, 2025
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8 min read
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