ACLU on Education American Civil Liberties Union

End suspension of students for willful defiance of authority

Analysis by ACLU of Northern California, Oct 20, 2014: Gov. Brown signed AB 420 which will eliminate the most extreme uses of harsh discipline under the category of "willful defiance." Gov. Brown's signature on AB420 represents a huge step forward for students in California. The enactment of AB 420 places our state at the front of the pack: we are leading in making meaningful advancements in civil liberties as other states turn in the opposition direction.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 24-8-8 on Aug/19/14; Passed Assembly 62-16-1 on Aug/21/14; Signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sep/27/14

Oppose CO voucher system because it funds religious schools

In 2011, the ACLU of Colorado, the National ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Americans United for the Separation of Church & State, and others filed suit in Colorado state court, claiming that the school choice option violated the statutory provisions of the CSP itself and seven provisions of the Colorado constitution, including, importantly, the establishment clause in the Colorado constitution. As an ACLU spokesperson said after winning an injunction to prevent the program from being implemented: "By paying for students to attend religious schools, the state was unconstitutionally promoting and subsidizing particular faiths."

Against school prayer even if called "inspirational message"

Analysis by ACLU Florida: This is the school prayer, which was termed "inspirational message" bill when Senate legal staff expressed doubts it could pass constitutional muster. The measure authorizes school districts to adopt a policy to allow students of all ages to deliver inspirational messages at compulsory and non-compulsory school events and prohibits school personnel from being involved in overseeing the message contents, sectarian or otherwise.

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 88-27-4 on Mar/1/12; Passed Senate 31-8-1 on Feb/1/12; by Governor Rick Scott on Mar/23/12

Oppose private and religious school voucher programs

Under the federal voucher pilot program, funds were provided to schools even though they infuse their curricular materials with specific religious content and even though they are not covered by many of the nation's civil rights statutes that would otherwise protect students against discrimination. Additionally, each of the congressionally-mandated studies to explore the pilot program concluded that the voucher program had no significant effect on the academic achievement of students who used vouchers, including targeted students from "schools in need of improvement."