Students are the future of one’s country. Back to history, if you look for the main ingredient of a country’s prosperity or progress, you will get to know that they invested in their educational hubs. It shows that successful countries have worked on the student’s rights in school and responsibilities. Millions of students go to their institutions daily to seek knowledge, but at the end of the day, it is the quality that matters, not the quantity. And to grow a qualitative quantity of students, all institutions should acknowledge their students about their legal rights and how they can use them for a better future. For the growth of leaders, it is the responsibility of institutions and parents to educate their children about what rights students have in school so that they always get treated fairly.
Here is a complete list of 14 students rights in school that every one of us needs to know:
The first right that each student should have inside or outside an institution is the right and freedom to speak or express their feelings and ideas without fear of being judged or humiliated. Students should be allowed to give their opinion on any minor or major matters. If they give any wrong answer or feedback, it’s the teacher’s responsibility to correct them kindly, and this is how a great journalist is made. The schools should teach the art of speaking on the right or justice. And the schools or teachers who silence their students by letting them down or threatening should be held accountable. Speaking out is the right of each student, and they should be free to give their feedback, either good or bad, about the school without any fear or suppression.
All individuals have different choices, mindsets, and abilities to learn and understand things. Considering this fact, all students should have freedom of choice, choosing the subjects, career, sports, hobbies and other activities of their interests. Of course, kids do not know what is right or wrong, so it is the responsibility of teachers to focus on student’s interests and then help them choose the appropriate path. In other words, the students should not be forced to study a particular subject, play a sport or be a part of any activity without their consent or interest. Because the more students will be free in making their choices, the more they will grow into mentally healthy and self-confident beings.
Schools are the kid’s second home, and homes are supposed to be safe places to breathe in. So is the case with a school environment. It is the right of each student to feel safe and secure mentally, physically, and by all other means. For the past few years, the suicide ratio is increasing gradually among teen students because they fail to win the fight against depression. Schools’ atmosphere and the teacher’s behavior play an active role in keeping students’ mental health fit. Moreover, students should be free to express themselves if they feel unsafe from their teachers, fellow mates, other staff, or anything within the school locality. Furthermore, it’s also the right of a student to take care of other fellow’s rights and safety and respect their opinions.
Most schools have their uniform, so they do not face dress differences problems, and it may not violate the school’s discipline. Having a uniform is a great idea, but sometimes the school-specific dress code does not match some student’s religious or cultural beliefs. Even with designed dress codes, students should have a right to choose the dress that does not disrupt their religious symbol, and they feel comfortable during school hours. It is the responsibility of schools to take care of student’s dress code legal rights. All students, whether boys or girls, should be aware of this right, and if their school punishes or bullies them on their natural color or hairstyle, or religious dressing, they should speak up or take a stand for it.
It is the right of each child to learn and go to school. And if laws and policies of any area stop them from availing the school learning opportunity, the adults should fight for their rights. All students should know that it is their right to go to school and gain knowledge. And the students with minor or major disabilities should also know about their right to learning. Furthermore, teachers and the school management should work on this right to ensure their better future.
Being a part of an institutional agency and what decisions or changes they are making is the right of all the students. As they should be the part of such discussions and their opinion must be considered. Instead of experimenting with the students’ changes or new decisions, students should contribute to big or small decisions. It is a fundamental right of each student because they are the change-makers and the future.
Often parents do not send their kids to schools because of no proper documentation or immigrant status. But it is the legal right of each student to study, no matter from which race, color, religion, or culture they belong. A kid with no documentation has a right to study in public schools. In short, no student can be turned back from school based on discrimination, as getting a quality education is the basic right of each student.
Students and their family information and data are required to get admission, and secrecy of their information is one of the main student rights in school. It is a two-way street because such details of students help the teachers or instructor know about the student’s background, home environment, and other needs. But it is the legal right of each student that their credentials or any other detail be kept confidential by the school. And if any student feels the privacy abuse or intrusions, they can speak up on their information and privacy rights.
The worldly purpose of going to school is gaining enough qualifications or skills to make a living later. In other words, you can say that the schools prepare for a job. And doing a part-time job is the right of each student, and it depends on their choice too, whether they want to do a job or not. That is another case. Note that if any institute stops from doing a job, tell them it is you and each student right in school. And even after finishing school, you have to support your family and yourself.
Even after teaching the best curriculum, some schools fail at teaching moral values. They deny the basic rights of students with disabilities, and such a discriminative atmosphere of schools does not let special students participate in extracurricular activities, school technology or trips, academic courses or social clubs, and other services. Such school systems grow the kids with bullying and discriminative mindsets. It is the fundamental right of each individual to get the same access to academic tasks. And there is no excuse to be unkind. Moreover, to grow into a kind and sensible adult is the right of each student or kid.
Joining the civil services and being a part of any change bringing community is the right of each student. And the freedom of civic participation should be given to all students. No school can take away this freedom from their students just because of community or service differences. Students have a right to improve the world they live in, and they should not have to wait for their graduation to bring positive changes in their society or community.
Some students lack in making notes, while some fail to speak their minds in verbal tests, although both have the knowledge or know the answers. The teachers or instructors should focus on their students and understand how they can prove themselves and take their assessments that way. It is the fundamental right of each student to give and take fair assessments to demonstrate their knowledge. And the right to fair assessment should be on the list of student’s rights.
Everyone has access to smartphones and the internet nowadays, but some schools are still not using technology. Instead of having only access to social media, it is the right of each student to learn about technology and how to use innovative digital tools and acquire knowledge from them. Professional teachers and school management have the responsibility to provide tech knowledge to their students.
The full form of LGBT is lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. And all schools should add these rights to the list of their legal rights and acknowledge everyone about it because LGBT students have an absolute right to express their gender or use the pronoun that matches their identity. They should be given all the rights and allowed to join the class or any school activity with their gender. Teachers and other students should be advised strictly not to discourage or call them by names because of their gender difference.
Along with a list of student’s rights in school, each student has a set of responsibilities too. The very first responsibility of each student is not to violate the rules of schools and play an active, obedient, participating, and responsible role. Moreover, all the above rights come with a huge responsibility. Every student must speak up if they are being treated wrong or if anybody is making inappropriate rights.
Awareness of rights makes things quite easy, and here we are wrapping up the list of student rights in school. If you are a student or know someone who questions ‘what are my rights in school?’, then make sure to pass this blog to them because it’s the responsibility of all of us to educate others of their rights. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” And to get this weapon, make sure to use your rights, rightly!
