Every student in America has the legally protected right to learn in an environment free from discrimination. All institutions of learning are required to comply with anti-discrimination laws and ensure that their policies and practices do so. Public Justice’s Students’ Civil Rights Project uses impact litigation and other advocacy tools to combat discrimination, while also empowering students to press for change in their schools.
Combating attacks by the federal government, states, and educational institutions on students’ civil rights — particularly those of LGBTQ+ students, student survivors of sexual harassment, and students of color — are the cornerstones of the SCRP’s work. These attacks threaten to erase decades of hard-won progress in achieving equitable learning environments. And they are on the rise.
From threatening to defund schools with trans-inclusive policies to censoring classroom discussions of race- and gender-based discrimination, the federal government and states are weaponizing civil rights laws against students. But we are helping students fight back.
As the only national project devoted to combating discrimination that students experience in schools, the long-lasting systemic change the project achieves is possible because of our deep expertise in combating gender- and race-based discrimination in education.
We use our expertise to take on powerful institutions that violate students’ civil rights. For example, for decades, The Ohio State University had enabled one of its doctors to sexually abuse hundreds of boys and young men, many of whom were student-athletes, but it claimed the abuse had happened too long ago for the university to be held responsible. We played a critical role in developing the legal strategy that convinced a federal appeals court to move the cases forward. Later, we took the lead in successfully opposing the university’s effort to seek U.S. Supreme Court review, securing the appellate victory for hundreds of sexual abuse survivors.
The Students’ Civil Rights Project helps to level the playing field, taking on the powerful systems that threaten students’ fundamental rights and working to ensure that schools create safe learning environments in which all students learn and thrive.
Federal and state laws prohibit sexual harassment, including sexual assault and dating violence. When educational institutions fail to prevent or respond appropriately to sexual harassment, we help student survivors hold those institutions accountable.
Discrimination against students based on their race, ethnicity, or national origin is prohibited by federal and state laws. We file lawsuits to help students who experience this kind of discrimination at school, with a special focus on students facing harassment or discriminatory discipline.
LGBTQ+ students are facing unprecedented, targeted attacks on their rights to be who they are and obtain an education free from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Our work to protect and advance LGBTQ+ students’ rights is more critical than ever.
Public Justice’s Students’ Civil Rights Project supports students, families, and attorneys in cases involving discrimination in schools, including harassment, discriminatory discipline, and discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or parenting status, race, ethnicity, or national origin.
We partner with plaintiffs’ attorneys in significant school discrimination cases at the trial and appellate levels, and may be able to help students or families seeking legal support. Resources for attorneys, students, and families are available below.
If you have or know of a potential case that might be appropriate for Public Justice, please fill out the form on our Submit a Case page. We will consider involvement in cases that further the goals of one or more of our issue areas.
Explore more
