Student & Youth Rights

In school, young people not only learn about their constitutional rights but also see firsthand how those rights may be affected by the actions of others. The ACLU of Utah is dedicated to protecting students' constitutional rights and helping them understand their rights in school.

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In school, young people not only learn about their constitutional rights but also see firsthand how those rights may be affected by the actions of others. The ACLU of Utah is dedicated to protecting students' constitutional rights and helping them understand their rights in school.

Know Your Rights

(Updated March 2018)

Utah Students! Know Your Rights: A Guide for Utah Public High School Students

You'll discover what you need to know about:

  • Your Right to an Education
  • Freedom of Speech & Expression Religious Freedom
  • Search and Seizure
  • Discrimination
  • Discipline Student Records
  • Military Recruitment

View The Guide

Students' Rights: Speech, walkouts, and other protests

A resource from National ACLU. If you're a public school student, you don't check your constitutional rights at the schoolhouse doors. But whether schools can punish you for speaking out depends on when, where, and how you decide to express yourself. That's why it's essential that everyone — especially students and allies — learns about students' rights.

View the Resource

Complete ACLU of Utah Know Your Rights Resources

We have many free resources that can answer any questions about what behavior is acceptable in certain situations. Click the button below for a complete "Know Your Rights" Guides and other information that can educate you about what rights you have in certain situations.

View the Lists of Guides

The Latest

News & Commentary
A young girl looking towards a classrom.

Utah's Students Deserve Accurate Health Education

HB315 promotes “Baby Olivia,” a medically inaccurate, computer-generated fetus video produced by extremists pushing abortion bans.
Press Release
ACLU of Utah Press Release Notice.png

Let Utah Read Event 2/13 Brings Authors and the Community Together to Defend Books

Public Urged to Help Defeat New Law that Would Further Censor Books in Schools
Issue Areas: First Amendment, State Advocacy, Student & Youth Rights
Court Cases: Vonnegut v. Utah
Press Release
Graphic for the ACLU of Utah that reads "press release".

Media Advisory: Let Utah Read Annual Read-in at the Capitol on Friday, February 13

The two-hour event will feature a community reading hour followed by remarks from authors and other speakers, including Representative John Arthur and author Abdi Nazemian, whose novel Like a Love Story was banned statewide in Utah in 2025.
Issue Areas: First Amendment, Student & Youth Rights, State Advocacy
Press Release
Graphic for the ACLU of Utah that reads "press release".

Maya Angelou Estate Joins Legal Battle Against Utah’s “Sensitive Materials” Law

Plaintiff Added to Suit After Two School Districts Ban Dr. Angelou’s Pulitzer Prize-Nominated Work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings — Statewide Ban Under Consideration
Issue Areas: First Amendment, Student & Youth Rights
Court Cases: Vonnegut v. Utah
Legislation
Jan 20, 2026

HB197 (School Materials Amendments)

HB197 expands on the prior sensitive materials law passed in 2024, Rep. Ivory's HB29. This bill would require schools to use automated filters in screening database and other online content and to immediately ban access to materials upon a "plausible" complaint. Like HB29, the bill would require the material to be pulled statewide once enough districts flag the same material, undermining local control over our schools. Additionally, under this bill, parents could sue schools and educational vendors, exposing local education agencies to legal liability that will in turn be covered by taxpayer dollars.
Status: Failed
Position: Oppose
Legislation
Jan 15, 2026

SB56 (Citizenship Education Amendments)

SB56 would require public school to provide civics education to all 10th graders, including information about voting rights, jury duty obligations, the right to legal representation in court proceedings, the criminal legal system and other civic institutions.
Status: Introduced
Position: Support