Increase self-advocacy by learning Constitutional rights

Senior Raina Arntson walked to her car to go home after spending time with friends in July. A police officer pulled up beside her and wrote her a citation because it was 11:10 p.m., 10 minutes past the legal curfew.

“I was scared and even though I was going to my car, I understand why he pulled me over,” Arntson said.

According to Jana Kooren, public education and communications director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, students should understand they possess the same rights as adults, for the most part.

“Young people should understand that all the rights outlined in the Constitution, almost all of those rights do not have an age attached to them,” Kooren said.

Kooren said students should be aware of the restrictions on their rights at school.

“You can’t say anything you want in school without getting in trouble. That is definitely not true — there are restrictions on your rights in school,” Kooren said. “But you shouldn’t think that you have absolutely zero rights.”