Know Your Rights: Student Walkouts and Protest at School

Last updated: August 27, 2026 04:13 pm

Student holding protest poster reading "bullets are not school supplies"

If you’re a public school student, you don’t check your constitutional rights at the schoolhouse doors. But whether schools can punish you for speaking out depends on when, where, and how you decide to express yourself.

See our full Know Your Rights: Back to School toolkit to learn about all issues affecting students, teachers, and staff.

Open the menus below to learn more about your First Amendment rights in Maine.

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As the Supreme Court ruled in 1969, students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”
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Know Your Rights: K-12 Teachers and Staff

Know your rights when teaching and working at a school.
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Know Your Rights: Students' Rights

The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." This is true for other fundamental rights, as well.