What’s at Stake The amount of time a survivor has to file a lawsuit under Title IX. Summary Just before she turned 21, E.R., a South Carolina resident, filed a lawsuit against her former school district, Beaufort County School District, for violating her Title IX rights. As a student at Bluffton High School, E.R. suffered…
What’s at Stake Protecting trans students from “forced outing” policies. Summary During the summer of 2023, Chino Valley Unified School District adopted Board Policy 5020.1, a forced outing policy. Under this rule, if a student requested to use a name or pronoun, or access school facilities or programs, not aligned with the sex identified on…
What’s at Stake The rights of transgender students in South Carolina to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity. Summary In 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit confirmed that transgender students must be allowed to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity. Yet, in the summer of 2024, South Carolina passed…
What’s at Stake Whether a school district is liable when it fails to take obvious steps to prevent sexual abuse. Summary Crystal Ayon’s five-year-old daughter was sexually abused by her school bus driver for months. Crystal noticed something was wrong when the bus began to drop her daughter off a half hour late, but when…
What’s at Stake Whether hundreds of victims of childhood sexual abuse can file lawsuits under the Maryland Child Victims Act. Summary From 1973 to 1977, while in high school at the Key School in Annapolis, Maryland, Valerie Bunker was sexually abused by two different teachers. But like many victims of childhood sexual abuse, she did…
What’s at Stake Whether Florida can ban transgender teachers from using pronouns and titles that best express who they are. Summary Katie Wood is a 10th grade algebra teacher in a Florida public school. She is also a transgender woman. Her students have always addressed her as “Ms. Wood” and referred to her with she/her…
What’s at Stake Whether a key federal employment law protects students workers from discrimination Summary Meng Huang, a former PhD student at the Ohio State University, filed a lawsuit alleging a shocking pattern of abuse: Her advisor had sexually harassed her for years, starting the first time they met. For three and a half years,…
What’s at Stake What protections federal and Michigan civil rights law provides student victims of racial harassment. Summary The Malick family lived in Sanilac County, Michigan, which is overwhelmingly white. Their daughter, “C.M.,” is Black. While a student at Croswell Lexington School District, C.M. was subject to relentless racial harassment by her classmates. Students called…
The Students’ Civil Rights Project represents a Texas student who endured over a year of sex-based verbal abuse that drove her to the brink of suicide. The case seeks to make clear that schools cannot wait until harassment drives a student out of school before they take steps to stop it. For over a year,…