What Constitutional Rights Do Students Have?

When schools paddle students, censor student-newspaper articles, and write dress codes aimed at kids’ hairstyles, they risk undercutting the civic principles they’re supposed to be instilling. But courts have long recognized that the U.S. Constitution’s reach into the schoolhouse is limited, although the exact limits can be murky. Learn more about the legal context surrounding free-speech, search-and-seizure, due-process, and other constitutional rights when it comes to minor students in schools.