NYRA of Southeast Florida is pushing hard for youth rights; their proposal to lower the voting age to 16 in Florida is moving closer to becoming reality. The chapter is currently working with legislators in order to gain support for lowering the voting age. According to chapter president Jeffrey Nadel, their proposal has been sent…
The Zionsville Student Rights Union in central Indiana has certainly not been taking a break from their work for student rights, and continues to make progress. Most of the changes the ZSRU proposed for the student handbook at their school, including changes protecting students’ rights under the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution,…
A closeted youth rights supporter, and professor at MIT, Scott Aaronson, has made a bold attempt to come out of the closet by debating the absurd position of youth rights opponents. Specifically pointing out the lack of a credible argument against lowering the voting age. His post is impressive as he is well acquainted with…
NYRA is renewing its efforts to combat age discrimination against youth in business. We had many successes this past fall in getting businesses to change discriminatory policies, so we’re revving up this campaign again and are hoping to achieve an even higher level of success in the coming months. NYRA is aggressively going after businesses…
One of NYRA’s newest chapters, NYRA-Nanuet: Teen Suffrage Organization, is based out of a middle school in New York, and is NYRA’s only currently active middle school-based chapter. The chapter’s primary goal, according to chapter president Jackie Ferro, is to lower the voting age to 16. NYRA-Nanuet already has about 25 members, and has garnered…
NYRA is looking into filing or joining an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case, Redding v. Stafford, in which a 13-year-old female middle school student was strip searched for ibuprofen. In 2003, middle school student Savana Redding was strip searched for ibuprofen on the basis of a…
So I’m doing some research on Redding v. Safford (more on that later) and I see the US Supreme Court granted certiorari to another case on the same day as Redding. It looked to be about special education and who gets the bill for it. Somewhat dry stuff from a youth rights perspective, so I…
The Zionsville Student Rights Union continues to lead the way for youth rights in central Indiana. The ZSRU has been working with John Loflin, senior fellow of education and youth issues at the Black & Latino Policy Institute and member of the Democratic Education Consortium, and the Student Alliance for Education, an organization of urban…
NYRA-Southeast Florida, one of NYRA’s powerhouse chapters, is making great progress in its campaign to abolish a curfew against youth in the city of West Palm Beach. The curfew ordinance prohibits youth from being outside in the downtown area after 10 PM on weekdays and after 11 PM on weekends. However, many exceptions are written…
The Zionsville Student Rights Union, NYRA’s affiliate in central Indiana, continues to be an effective voice for youth. The ZSRU’s most recent victory came just this month when they successfully worked with their high school administration to change the structure of final exams starting in 2009, after a long cooperative process involving months of negotiation….
