The question of whether children have constitutional rights, and if so, which, is a fraught one. But one thing we ought to be able to agree on is that children have something like an absolute right to peaceful political expression. First of all, there is no reason why they shouldn’t. And second, there is no…
NYRA Freedom ISSN 1933-5229 Volume 11, Issue 3 March 31, 2011 Editors: Jackie Ferro, Katrina Moncure, Sidnei Banks, Alex Koroknay-Palicz Publisher: David Moss Contents – Introduction – NYRA Partners With Broad Coalition to End Corporal Punishment – Victory Against San Juan Capistrano Curfew Bill! – NYRA-DC Defeats a Giant – Action Through Collaboration at University…
Two years ago NYRA joined its first amicus brief, in the case of Safford v. Redding, in which a middle school student was strip searched because school officials suspected she had Ibuprofen. We were proud to help Savana Redding win her case at the US Supreme Court. Last summer NYRA joined an amicus brief in…
Recently, councilmembers in San Juan Capistrano, California considered proposals to enhance their existing curfew laws. Amongst the new ideas considered were a daytime curfew during school hours and increased fines for the parents of young people who dare to go outside. Realizing that council members weren’t completely sold on the idea and that they clearly…
What a week for youth rights! At times like this, I am thrilled to be a NYRA member. With our tiny budget but a great deal of passion, NYRA was able to have a significant impact on all three branches of government this week. It makes me happy to see what our organization can accomplish,…
NYRA is pleased to announce the winners of our first annual NYRA Awards. This year we gave three separate awards: The Youth Rights Progress Award, The NYRA Achievement Award, and the Ageist of the Year Award. To learn about all the nominees go here. The Youth Rights Progress Award was given to Congressman George Miller,…
What an awesome speech, Erica is a rock star. The following speech was delivered by top of the class student Erica Goldson during the graduation ceremony at Coxsackie-Athens High School on June 25, 2010 Here I stand There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the…
A multi-year effort to change the start time of Zionsville Community High School (ZCHS) in Indiana has finally ended, and ended the right way – in victory. The campaign began in March of 2009 when ZCHS student Erica Park presented research to her AP English class outlining the physical and psychological benefits of allowing students…
Much has been made of the recent child obesity epidemic sweeping our nation. Turn on the news once a week and you’ll see at least ten stories about how kids aren’t getting enough exercise and eating too much bad food. All of these stories place the blame on the kids and to a much lesser…
There’s a lot that could be said about what happened to poor Phoebe Prince that has all been said before, but it bears repeating, as these bully victim suicides have got to stop. Phoebe Prince, a new arrival at South Hadley High School from a tiny seaside hamlet in County Clare, was mercilessly tormented by…
