Across the country, the rights of students and families are under threat.

The Trump Administration has abdicated its responsibility for protecting the civil rights of students. Federal civil rights offices that were dedicated to protecting students and families have been gutted or rolled back. The Administration has reversed policy decisions and legal interpretations that provided vital civil rights protections. As a result of these actions, students and families have been left with limited recourse at the federal level when confronted with discrimination, mistreatment, or harassment.

There are, however, other protections available for students and families. Many states, as well as some cities and counties, have civil rights laws that protect students from discrimination. It can often be difficult for students and families to understand what those rights are and how they can take advantage of the protections that they provide. The National Center for Youth Law's Education Defense Fund has created this website to address those issues. This resource provides a list of protections for each State and the District of Columbia and explains what avenues are available for students and families.

This tool will continue to be updated as we learn of additional protections and resources in specific states.

Special thanks to the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA) member firms and volunteer attorneys who provided critical research on state civil rights protections for students so we could produce this resource.  The LFAA Education Working Group led the effort to recruit attorneys from firms across the country to conduct research to support students and families combating discrimination.