The Student Bill of Rights

All students are entitled to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to form and hold opinions without limitation and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media. Students have the right to peaceably assemble and petition their grievances.

All students are guaranteed protection from harm, aggression or violence; no student may be subject to corporal punishment of any kind, including physical or psychological harm from faculty, or any kind of sexual abuse.  

 

Furthermore, institutions must create and maintain a learning environment which ensures mental and physical health and wellness. Students are guaranteed access to aid when their health or security of person is threatened or damaged in any way.

All students are entitled to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of their rights and obligations and of any charge against them. Students have the right to appeal a decision if they have reason to believe their rights are not being upheld.

All students are entitled to an education that meets their needs and fosters their personality and passion. All students are entitled to an Personal Learning Plan which charters their goals, and serves to identify ways their educational institution and faculty can support those goals. A Personal Learning Plan must be written in partnership with the student to authentically identify their needs and navigate their education priorities.

All students shall be given opportunity to partake in the decisions and discussions impacting and informing their academic institution. This involvement must entail meaningful engagement and participation, and afford students a say in the direction of their learning environments. 

All students are protected from arbitrary interference or constraint of their privacy, regardless of circumstance, whether in person, online or within school. A school may not share student records without the prior written consent of the student or their legal guardian.  The handling of student information must be a transparent process and the responsible institution must be accessible.

All students are entitled to learn skills which will prepare them for their professional goals and needs.  Students shall be free to seek and be assisted in carrying out experiential and independent learning endeavors for school credit to develop skills which cannot be learned in a traditional setting.  Students are also entitled to propose alternate projects within their academic setting which are better suited to developing the skills that will foster their life-long success, ensuring at a minimum an individual can become employable in their desired field(s) of work.

All students are entitled to pursue opportunities which can have a positive effect on the world beyond their classroom, and receive academic support where such opportunities develop their sense of civic responsibility and knowledge.  Students may partake in such projects which aim to solve society's problems, great and small, and propose such projects as experiential or independent learning endeavors as eligible for school credit.   

All students are entitled to be assessed in a way which best captures their abilities and knowledge as identified by the student.  In all cases, students may propose a new or alternate measure of their skills and knowledge, recognizing that multiple measures of assessment are recognized as scientifically viable rather than any one method (i.e. narrative exam instead of written or multiple choice exam) such that all students, regardless of learning ability and needs, have equitable opportunity in proving their academic proficiency.

All students are entitled to technology which is up-to-date and capable of performing the diverse tasks students need, where both "up-to-date" and "student needs" are regularly defined by students themselves in each and every academic setting.  In addition, all students are entitled to broadband Internet access, and access to their own digital devices. Technology must facilitate better learning, and its adoption should in all cases improve, not remove the human element of education, as determined by teachers and students together with equal input when choosing and implementing new tools.