Press Releases

Cleveland County School Board Settles in Student First Amendment Case

The ACLU of North Carolina has agreed to a settlement in M.K. v. Fisher, a lawsuit filed in February 2025, alleging that the Cleveland County Board of Education violated students’ rights under the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act.
Court Cases: M.K. v. Stephen Fisher

ACLU of North Carolina Files Lawsuit Against Cleveland County Schools

The ACLU of North Carolina filed a lawsuit against the Cleveland County Board of Education for banning a student group from playing a quiz game highlighting LGBTQ+ historical figures.

ACLU of NC Report Finds That Disorderly Conduct Complaints are Filed Against Black Students at Four Times the Rate of Their White Counterparts

A new report by the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina found that between 2017 to 2023, statewide law enforcement and school staff filed school-based complaints of disorderly conduct against Black students at four times the rate of their white counterparts.
Issue Areas: Student Rights

ACLU of North Carolina Statement on Senate Passage of SB 49

ACLU of North Carolina executive director Chantal Stevens shared the following statement after the North Carolina Senate passed Senate Bill 49.

Federal Appeals Court Says Charter School Students Enjoy Constitutional Rights in Case Involving School Dress Codes

A federal appeals court ruled today that a K-8 public charter school is required to comply with constitutional and federal law requirements that apply to traditional public schools in a case involving a uniform policy requiring girls to wear skirts as a condition of attending school.

ACLU of NC Statement on Bill that Would Target Teachers and LGBTQ Students

Like Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” HB 755 is part of a national campaign to target and alienate LGBTQ students and a broader movement to exclude LGBTQ people from public life, limit what teachers can teach, and what students can learn.