A federal appeals court has cast legal doubt on a Nevada district’s uniform policy, holding that requiring students to wear shirts with the motto “Tomorrow’s Leaders” is a form of compelled speech that implicates the First Amendment.
The three-judge panel stopped short of striking down the uniforms of Roy Gomm Elementary School in the Washoe County district. It said the district did not have the chance to present justifications for the infringement on speech because a family’s lawsuit had been dismissed.
The panel also held that an exception allowing students to wear Scout uniforms on meeting days was a content-based restriction that also implicated the free-speech clause. The court said the school district should be given the chance to justify its policy under a strict-scrutiny standard.
There’s no time to waste when it comes to literacy. Getting intervention right is critical. Learn best practices, tangible examples, and tools proven to improve reading outcomes.
Kim Anderson, the executive director of the National Education Association, speaks during a demonstration at the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on March 14, 2025, in Washington. The NEA and the American Federation of Teachers have both filed lawsuits seeking to block President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle the Education Department.
The U.S. Supreme Court, seen on Feb. 27, next week will hear arguments in a challenge to the funding structure of the $4 billion federal E-rate program, which provides discounts to schools to connect to the internet.
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