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Student Rights

For liberty to be preserved, it must be nurtured in the hearts and minds of young people. The ACLU educates students about the many important rights they have and supports those who exercise their rights. In doing so, we help to prepare the next generation of guardians of liberty.

REPORT: Washington Schools Routinely Physically Restrain and Isolate Students

Advocates call on the Legislature to Clarify the Law and Adopt Reforms to Protect Students 

Resources

REPORT: Washington Schools Routinely Physically Restrain and Isolate Students, Disproportionately Subjecting Students with Disabilities, Black, Homeless and Foster Care Students to Traumatic Practices that Violate State Law 

News Release, Published: 
Monday, February 6, 2023
Advocates call on the Legislature to Clarify the Law and Adopt Reforms to Protect Students 
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Restraint and isolation in Washington schools: What these practices are, how they are being used and what needs to change 

Published: 
Monday, February 6, 2023
One parent recounted their son saying that he couldn’t breathe, and that he thought he was going to die. Another described how her kindergartener was placed in isolation, often for “cussing,“ many times a week for months. A survivor described witnessing restraint at a non-public agency as “an everyday thing” in all classrooms. 
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ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District

News Release, Published: 
Monday, June 27, 2022
The Supreme Court significantly eroded the separation of church and state in public schools.
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ACLU of Washington statement on Spokane School District’s release of the independent investigation of the “cotton picking” lesson at Sacajawea Middle School

News Release, Published: 
Friday, July 30, 2021
ACLU of Washington reaction to the release of the results of an independent investigation into a complaint over a cotton picking lesson at Sacajawea Middle School in Spokane
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Spokane Family Demands Equitable Changes After Two Black Middle School Students Were Asked to Clean Cotton for Social Studies Lesson

News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
On May 3, Emzayia and Zyeshauwne said their fifth-period social studies teacher took out a box of raw cotton and told the class they were going to do a “fun” activity to see who could clean cotton the fastest.
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