New guide equips advocates with tools to combat discrimination, censorship in schools
Resource offers key information, tips related to legal doctrines, landmarks cases and advocacy strategies
The National Center for Youth Law published a first-of-its-kind guide today that offers critical information, resources and recommendations for students, families and other advocates to stand up for equity in education and push back against discrimination and censorship in classrooms.
"A Legal Advocacy Guide: Combatting Racial Discrimination and Censorship in K-12 Public Schools" is meant to serve as a tool for users of the guide to better understand key legal doctrines, landmark court cases, and advocacy strategies to bolster their efforts to protect students' rights and advocate on students' behalf. The guide was developed amid growing legislative efforts to limit discussions about race, history and identity in schools — making it an especially vital and timely resource.
Alyssa Wilson, an Equal Justice Works Fellow at NCYL who led in the guide's creation, said it was directly inspired by conversations she had with education advocates in Tennessee who felt unprepared or ill-equipped for discussions with legislators or policy consultants who would often cite specific statutes or case law.
"This guide is aimed at giving people who aren't lawyers, or who aren't well-versed in law, the information and confidence they need to stand up for students in advocacy spaces — whether that's speaking with school administrators, speaking at school board meetings, or going to a legislator and discussing their concerns," Wilson said. "To give students the best advocacy possible, it's critical to understand the laws that protect us and why they exist."
A unique feature of the guide is its actionable steps and advocacy tips, which supplement the legal and policy information and provide users with practical recommendations they can use in their own day-to-day advocacy work. Examples of this include detailed breakdowns of how federal laws like Title VI or the Equal Protection Clause, or several precedent-setting court cases, can be cited and used in advocacy against racial discrimination and censorship in schools.
The guide also provides context and resources for better understanding recent executive orders from the Trump administration that have rolled back protections or limited federal oversight of equity-related matters in education.
"My hope is this guide builds the capacity of community members to engage in self-advocacy confidently, not only by equipping them with the relevant information, but also by helping them understand how to use that information effectively as advocates," Wilson said.
Access the full guide here.
