Youth and Students’ Rights

3 Children with backpacks walking home from school

The Constitution doesn’t place age requirements on our freedoms. ACLU-TN works to ensure that every student has the equal opportunity to attend nurturing and safe schools that provide high quality education free from discrimination. Highlights of our youth rights work include defending students’ free speech and privacy rights, preserving students’ religious freedom, protecting LGBTQ youth from harassment and bullying, and working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.

The Latest

Know Your Rights
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ACLU-TN's Youth & Students' Rights Resource Sheet

Resource
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Stand Up/Speak Up: A Guide for Youth Activists

Know Your Rights
Frequently Asked Questions: Censorship in Tennessee's Schools

FAQ: Censorship in Tennessee’s Schools

Learn about how Tennessee's legislature censors teachers or employees of LEAs through the Age Appropriate Materials Act, the State Library Censorship Law, and the K-12 Censorship Law.
Press Release
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ACLU-TN Files Open Records Request on McMinn County School Board’s Banning of “Maus”

Issue Areas: Youth and Students’ Rights, Education Equity, Free Speech & Censorship
Court Case
Nov 18, 2019

Butler v. Smith County Board of Education