Student Rights

Learn more about conflicts over what rights students have at school
Illustration of the arm of Statue of Liberty with various speech bubbles coming out of the top of her torch
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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English Learners Advocates Call for Return of Rescinded Federal Guidance on English Learners
The Trump administration quietly rescinded 2015 guidance on English learners' federal rights.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
Photo of Latino family talking with elementary school staff.
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English Learners Download Immigrant Students' Rights: A Guide for Schools' Front-Office Staff
A downloadable guide to help school staff familiarize themselves with immigrant students' rights and schools' responsibilities to them.
Ileana Najarro, October 2, 2024
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2 min read
Bible laying on a school desk in an empty classroom full of desks.
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Equity & Diversity Explainer Religion in Public Schools, Explained
Public schools cannot promote any particular religion, and they must respect the individual religious beliefs of students and staff.
Evie Blad, August 23, 2024
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10 min read
Pittsburg quarterback Jaden Rashada (5) is pressured by Liberty's Grant Buckey (72) during the second quarter of the 2022 CIF State Football Championship Division 1-A game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., on Dec. 10, 2022. Florida has granted Rashada a release from his national letter of intent. It comes three days after he requested to be let go because the Gator Collective failed to honor a four-year name, image and likeness deal worth more than $13 million.
Quarterback Jaden Rashada plays during the 2022 CIF state football championship Division 1-A game in Mission Viejo, Calif., on Dec. 10, 2022. Rashada is said to be the first high school football player to profit from endorsements with a name, image, and likeness deal. Those deals are now available to high school students in at least 39 states.
Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP
School & District Management High School Athletes Can Profit From Brand Deals. What That Means for Schools
Student-athletes in most states can cash in on their name, image, and likeness while still in high school.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 6, 2024
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7 min read
ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of U.S. Litigation David Cortman, left, and Liam Morrison speak at a press conference following oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit on Feb. 8, 2024.
David Cortman, senior counsel and vice president of Alliance Defending Freedom, left, and middle school student Liam Morrison speak to reporters following oral arguments over Morrison's "There Are Only Two Genders" T-shirt before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit in Boston on Feb. 8, 2024.
Courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom
Law & Courts Court Backs School That Barred Student's 'Two Genders' Shirt
The court said the shirt could be understood to demean transgender and gender-nonconforming students, and administrators could prohibit it.
Mark Walsh, June 10, 2024
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5 min read
Officers with the New York Police Department raid the encampment by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on April 30, 2024, in New York. The protesters had seized the administration building, known as Hamilton Hall, more than 20 hours earlier in a major escalation as demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war spread on college campuses nationwide.
New York City police officers raid the encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on April 30, 2024. Although not as turbulent as what is happening on many college campuses, K-12 schools in some pockets of the country are also contending with conflict stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.
Marco Postigo Storel via AP
School & District Management Israel-Hamas War Poses Tough Questions for K-12 Leaders, Too
High school students have joined walkouts, while charges of antisemitism in three districts will be the focus of a House hearing this week.
Mark Walsh, May 6, 2024
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9 min read
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