Chapter 10
What Students Can Do
Overview:
Students—especially in middle and high school—can be powerful advocates. School boards often dismiss parents’ concerns as “political,” but student voices are harder to ignore. When students speak up, their experiences and perspectives are treated with more sensitivity, and are harder to ignore. Student advocacy is key to holding schools—and school districts—accountable, and to ushering in change.
This year, student participation is gaining significant momentum. Some school districts are now incorporating student advisory roles to weigh in on pressing issues ranging from mental health resources, book access, and inclusion to disciplinary policies. It is crucial for our students to occupy those roles and help sustain—and normalize—American values, before this campus space is taken over by hate.
Ways Students Can Make a Difference:
Public comment at board meetings. Students should sign up to speak during designated public comment periods at school board meetings. Sharing their personal experiences—and their identity—is especially powerful, especially when paired with constructive suggestions about the curriculum, safety, or policy.
Student advisory councils. Increasingly, school districts are creating student advisory groups that meet regularly with administrators. These councils give students a meaningful way to share input on academic policy, safety, and disciplinary policy.
Petitions. Students can organize petitions to raise awareness and show support for a cause—for the cause of upholding our civil rights.
Journalism. Writing articles for the school paper, submitting op-eds to local outlets, or even producing podcasts or social media campaigns helps spread awareness and perspective. Public visibility is key pressure for change.
Understanding Legal Rights to Speak:
Students in public schools have protected—but not unlimited—rights to free speech and expression under the First Amendment. These rights are valanced against the schools’ need to maintain order and educational focus. Private schools offer fewer protections, as they are not government entities, but charter schools—which are publicly funded—generally follow public school rules.
In Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), the Supreme Court held that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” They can express opinions—verbally, in writing, or symbolically (such as through wearing armbands)—as long as doing so does not cause “material and substantial disruption” to school activities, or invade the rights of others.
Schools can restrict vulgar or disruptive speech, and can regulate student newspapers, yearbooks, or gatherings if tied to “legitimate pedagogical concerns,” such as appropriateness or educational value.
What Parents of Students Can Do:
Encourage your child to share their lived experience. Discuss specific issues with them—like bullying, harassment, or biased lesson plans—and help them articulate how these issues affect them personally.
Help your child draft a short statement for a school board meeting. Aim to keep it under 2 minutes, and include facts, how they were impacted, and solutions. Practice with them to build their confidence.
Work with other parents and coordinate student participation. Share your experiences, and educate your community about what you find effective.
Protect your child against retaliation. Document all interactions. Titles VI and IX prohibit discrimination or retaliation for advocacy related to protected classes, such as antisemitism complaints.
