Schoolhouse Rights: Exploring Rights of Students, Parents, and Teachers

“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional

rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

Justice Abe Fortas in Tinker v. Des Moines, USSC 393 U.S. 503 (1969)

What happens at schools has long been a source of controversy in America:

Armbands to protest the Vietnam War. Drug testing of student-athletes.

Affirmative Action. Banning books. Vaccine requirements. And so much more...

Mental and behavioral health professionals should adhere to an ethical principle

of challenging injustice. We all should know the legal and ethical issues that

define controversy in school policy, so that we can be effective advocates for

justice. This workshop explores the rights of students, parents, and teachers/

administrators through an examination of international, federal, state and local

law. Tools for proactive and responsive advocacy are provided, and exercised.