Youth Justice and Education: Know Your Rights & Self-Help Materials
The materials and resources on this page are intended to provide information about the rights of young people and to assist youth, their families, and their communities to advocate for them in the school, court, and policing systems. Some of these materials include information that is specific to Alameda County or locations within Alameda County.
Nothing in these materials is intended to provide legal advice and reading or utilizing these materials should not be construed as creating an attorney client relationship with EBCLC or any other organization or attorney.
Know Your Rights & Self-Help Materials:
Student Rights:
Understanding School Discipline Processes:
- School Discipline Training PowerPoint (for non-lawyer advocates)
- Suspension & Expulsion Timeline
- NLSLA’s Education Advocacy Manual, pages 44-63
Defending Students in the Expulsion Process:
- Non-Attorney Advocate’s Guide to Expulsion Defense
- Parent Worksheet for School Disciplinary Meetings
Contesting Suspensions or Expulsions for “Defiance” or “Disruption”:
Under a recent change in the law, students may no longer be suspended or expelled for defiance or disruption alone. If a school does so, consider using the following resources.
- Info Sheet about the new law (SB 274)
- Letter template asking to remove records of the illegal suspension or expulsion from the student’s school records
- Guide to using the “Uniform Complaint Procedure” to complain about the illegal suspension or expulsion to the district
Discipline of Students with Disabilities:
This includes students with IEPs, 504 plans, or who otherwise have a disability not yet identified by their school.
Special Education Basics:
Requesting a special education assessment to determine eligibility for services & supports at school:
If an IEP is not being implemented or is not effective, a student’s education rights holder (usually parent/guardian) can request an IEP meeting at any time:
Additional information about special education rights and processes:
- Disability Rights California’s SERR Manual
- NLSLA’s Education Advocacy Manual, pages 16-40
- “Rights of families and students with disabilities who speak other languages,” pages 84-85
- “Protections for LGBTQIA+ students with disabilities,” page 103
Possible steps to address bullying, harassment, discrimination:
- Visit the ACLU of California’s My School, My Rights website
- Submit a complaint to the school district using a Uniform Complaint Procedures Complaint (additional information on UCP complaints available here) or to the federal government using an Office of Civil Rights Complaint (OCR complaint form available here).
- Additional information on these complaints available in NLSLA’s Education Advocacy Manual, pages 41-42
Education Rights and Protections of Specific Groups:
- Education Rights of Unhoused and Foster Youth Training PowerPoint
- NLSLA’s Education and Advocacy Manual
- Unhoused and Foster Youth, pages 92-99
- Families and Students Who Speak Languages Other than English, pages 79-83
- Undocumented Students, pages 87-90
- LGBTQIA+ Students, pages 101-108
Understanding the Juvenile Delinquency System:
Youth Rights with Police:
Education Rights of Delinquency System Involved Youth: