Protecting IE Students’ Rights: Disrupting the School-to-Prison/Deportation Pipeline
The following know-your-rights content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Students in California have rights at their public schools.
The ACLU SoCal’s Education Equity Project advocates for a student’s right to be safe at school and access their education, particularly those students who have historically been marginalized and under-resourced. Through 2026, the Education Equity Project is focused on identifying and addressing educational equity issues present specifically in the Inland Empire.
Inland Empire Educational Landscape
Inland Empire school districts have higher suspension rates for Black, Indigenous and Latine students compared to other districts statewide. Additionally, there is a disproportionate discipline rate among English-language learner students. Through this project, we will challenge these inequities and work towards creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for all students.
In the Inland Empire, approximately one in five residents are immigrants. Schools must provide all students with equal educational opportunity and to provide education without discrimination based on race, national origin, or immigration status. Through the ACLU SoCal Education Equity Project, we will support advocates and public schools to safeguard the rights of immigrant students through school sanctuary policies. For example, public schools can signal to all students and families that they will provide welcoming and affirming learning environments by having policies in place that protect student and family privacy from law enforcement, including immigration-related enforcement, and ensure that the school district or charter school’s practices do not discourage immigrant students from enrolling or participating in their schools.
Visit https://www.aclusocal.org/en/sanctuary-toolkit to learn more about school sanctuary policies.
The project offers the following support to students and families in the IE region:
Direct Representation: Representation to students in school discipline matters, including suspensions and expulsions, ensuring their rights are protected throughout the process.
Community Education: Know-your-rights trainings for students, families, school staff, and community groups to better understand their legal rights and how to challenge exclusionary discipline practices. Know-your-rights training sessions are available in both English and Spanish.
Legal Advocacy: Identify and address systemic issues disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous and Latine students, immigrant students, and English-language learner students; and, in some instances, engage in legal advocacy to challenge these inequities.
Policy Advocacy: Collaborate with community partners, students and parents to develop and advance campaigns aimed at eliminating harmful policies including district-level changes, such as the removal of law enforcement from schools, implementation or revision of sanctuary school policies across districts, and so on.
Resources
Below there are general resources linked to help you and your community protect students’ rights in schools. For more support, reach out to us. See below for our team contact information.
School Discipline in California Public Schools
You have the right to:
- Only be suspended for offenses listed in the California Education Code
- Have a pre-suspension hearing before being suspended
- Attend school while you’re waiting for your hearing unless an exception applies
- Bring an advocate or an attorney to your hearing to represent you
Immigration & Students in California Public Schools
You have the right to:
- A free public education, regardless of race, nationality, sex, religion, language, and immigration status
- Attend a public school in the district where your parent, guardian, or sponsor resides
- Not provide your citizenship or immigration status as proof of your residency within a district
- Withhold information on your citizenship or immigration status from your school. Your school may not stop you from enrolling if you do not provide that information
Learn more about your rights as a public student in California at MySchoolMyRights.com.
Contact
Brenda Rosas, Legal Fellow