ACLU-Nebraska: Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 24, 2011

CONTACT:  Amy Miller, (402) 476-8091, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Students Head Back To School with Their Rights

ACLU asks for information on policies in local high schools, provides educational resources

LINCOLN – As students head back to school, ACLU Nebraska has released new materials to help students understand their rights.

“Students and parents contact our office throughout the year wanting to know what their rights are,” said ACLU Nebraska Legal Director Amy Miller. “We provide information on student’s rights to the public so that everyone – students, parents and school personnel – know their rights.”

Two publications on ACLU Nebraska’s website are available for download. One contains some of the most common questions from students and parents. A second publication deals specifically with the rights of students who have been bullied.
http://www.aclunebraska.org/index.php/student-rights

Additionally, ACLU is trying to gather more information about potential violations at Nebraska high schools. A short survey has been released at www.aclunebraska.org.

“Most school districts in Nebraska understand the need to protect student’s rights,” said Miller. “Our goal is to learn where to focus the trainings and presentations we provide to school personnel and students. I’d rather solve a problem by providing education in advance than having a student contact our office after their rights were violated.”

ACLU has recently responded to student complains about censorship, religious liberty and bullying.

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ABOUT: ACLU Nebraska and its diverse membership works in courts, the legislature and our communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States and Nebraska guarantee everyone in this state.

Scottsbluff High School students Henna and Diango are cousins with an aunt who had breast cancer and they decided to support her survivor’s journey. Diango bought a t-shirt and Henna bought the shirt and a bracelet with the phrase “I ♥ Boobies” printed on them. The message is part of a national campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer and reduce the stigma of talking about the disease. The students were both told to turn the shirts inside out or face suspension for violating the school dress code. Henna’s bracelet was also confiscated.

Schools across the country have been attempting to censor this same message, claiming it is disruptive and obscene, but the ACLU recently won an initial phase court decision in federal court in Pennsylvania for a middle school student over the bracelet. After ACLU Nebraska contacted the Scottsbluff High Superintendent, school officials changed their mind.

One of the students’ mothers said, “I feel very pleased with this and hopefully the school realizes this is victory for everybody. It’s a lesson in standing up for what you believe in and fighting for that.”

Whether high schooler Julia Sullivan accomplishes her dream of becoming a cheerleader is hardly your everday high school drama... Julia was born without legs, forearms, and hands.

The Civil Liberties Minute™ podcasts--with Bill Newman, director of the ACLU's Western Massachusetts Legal Office--highlight threats to our civil liberties and what you can do to protect our freedoms. This episode features Julia Sullivan and the work of the ACLU of Nebraska.