Student & Youth Rights

Teachers and administrators have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for students that is conducive to learning.

Student & Youth Rights

What you need to know

2nd in the Nation

Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation in the arrest rates for Latinx students and Black students alike.

In spite of the Supreme Court's ringing endorsement of students' rights in the landmark Tinker decision, constitutional violations are far too common in public schools across the country. Lockers and backpacks are searched without reasonable suspicion. Marginalized students are disproportionately directed to lower track programs, and TLGBQIA+ students are intimidated into silence.

Teachers and administrators have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for students that is conducive to learning. They also have a responsibility to respect each student's individual rights.

ACLU Summer Institute

From free speech to privacy and from mass incarceration to voting rights, students will become experts on the issues currently being confronted in the United States’ courts and political arena.

The ACLU’s Summer Advocacy Institute brings together a diverse group of students entering their junior and senior years of high school from across the United States to participate in an advanced, firsthand learning experience for the next generation of social justice advocates. Through an intensive 7-day program, students learn directly from lawyers, lobbyists, community activists, journalists, and other experts working to defend the civil rights and liberties critical to a free and open society. The Close Up Foundation — a DC-based civic-education nonprofit — serves as a partner with the ACLU to provide substantive experiential learning opportunities that help students hone their skills as issue-focused campaigners.

Learn more and apply here!
Students at the Summer Institute

The Latest

Know Your Rights
Open books on a wood desk with chairs on a green and white backpack.

School Sex Based Discrimination

In Pennsylvania, every student has the right to a safe, equitable education free from discrimination.
Press Release
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Lawsuit Settlement Affirms Rights of Student Club to Operate and Oppose Offensive Mascot

“We’re pleased to have reached a resolution that guarantees the Retire the Raider student club equal access to school resources, just like other non-curricular clubs.”
Issue Areas: First Amendment Rights, Student & Youth Rights
Court Cases: Wolfe v. Twin Valley School District
Press Release
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Court To Hear ACLU-PA Arguments in UPitt Students for Justice in Palestine Case

The ACLU of Pennsylvania argues that both the non-disruptive library protest and the open advocacy letter are free speech protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Issue Areas: First Amendment Rights, Student & Youth Rights
Court Cases: Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt v. University of Pittsburgh
News & Commentary
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Honoring Disability Pride: A Decade of Fighting for Disability Rights in Pennsylvania

At the ACLU of Pennsylvania, our work in disability rights is part of a broader fight for justice that recognizes the interconnected issues of ableism, racism, and economic injustice. 
Court Case
Aug 28, 2025

Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt v. University of Pittsburgh

Court Case
Aug 15, 2024

Re Student Free Speech at Temple University

The ACLU of Pennsylvania is representing two Temple University students who are facing disciplinary action from the university for their participation in a demonstration opposing Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and its military assault in Gaza.
Court Case
Apr 10, 2023

Burgess v. Central Bucks School District

The ACLU of PA and the law firm LeVan Stapleton Segal Cochran LLC filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of teacher Andrew Burgess against the Central Bucks School District.
Court Case
Oct 05, 2022

Re Central Bucks School District Title IX violations

On October 6, 2022, the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Education on behalf of seven students in Central Bucks School District who allege a culture of discrimination against LGBQ&T students, particularly trans and nonbinary students.