Students' & Youth Rights

Young people and students face unique vulnerabilities to their civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of New Jersey works to make sure that young people are not punished for their youth and that students can fully access their constitutional rights, including their educational rights.

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Young people and students face unique vulnerabilities to their civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of New Jersey works to make sure that young people are not punished for their youth and that students can fully access their constitutional rights, including their educational rights. We work with students, parents, teachers, and advocates to end the over-policing of schools and to ensure equality and dignity for students, including those who have historically been marginalized and under-resourced, such as students of color, young people who are incarcerated, LGBTQ+ youth, and low-income youth.

The Latest

Press Release
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ACLU-NJ and Partners File Suit to Safeguard Rights of Rutgers Students Targeted by ICE

The ACLU of New Jersey today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of six international students attending Rutgers University who have had their student status effectively terminated by ICE.
Issue Areas: Immigration Enforcement & Detention, Immigrants' Rights, Students' & Youth Rights
News & Commentary
The exterior of the the Education Department (ED) headquarters in Washington, DC.

Trump’s Attack on the Department of Education, Explained

The Trump administration just put millions of students’ education and civil rights at risk by closing key Department of Education offices and firing half of its workforce.
Press Release
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ACLU-NJ and Partners Send Letter to All NJ School Districts Detailing Legal Rights of Immigrant Students

Public school administrators have the duty to educate all students, and the power and responsibility under the U.S. Constitution and state law to protect the rights of their students. New Jersey schools have an obligation to ensure that all students feel welcome, regardless of immigration status.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights, Students' & Youth Rights
Press Release
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New Jersey Superior Court Rules to Protect Transgender Students, Supportive Parents, and Safe Schools in Forced Outing Cases

All students in our state deserve to feel safe, supported, and respected.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights, Students' & Youth Rights
Court Case
Apr 22, 2025

Student Doe #1, et al v. Noem, et al

Complaint filed on behalf of Rutgers students who had their F-1 student immigration status effectively terminated.
Court Case
Apr 23, 2024

Platkin v Manalapan-Englishtown Reg’l Bd. of Educ., Platkin v Middletown Township Bd. of Educ., & Platkin v Marlboro Township Bd. of Educ.

Amicus briefs arguing that school policies requiring staff to out transgender students to their parents or guardians are unconstitutional, violate the Law Against Discrimination, and will cause irreparable harm to students and schools.
Court Case
Mar 09, 2022

State v. Comer II

Challenge to the constitutionality of mandatory sentences of thirty years in prison for children convicted of murder.
Court Case
Dec 07, 2020

State v. Romero

Amicus brief addressing whether the practical availability of parole should be considered when evaluating whether a sentence is the functional equivalent of life without parole.