Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights Toolkit
Palisades Charter HS Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights workshop, October 2015. Photo by Patricia Williams
Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states every person has a human right to education and that “education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms…” (UDHR)
The Convention on the Rights of the Child article 28 states that governments should “ensure that school discipline is administered in a manner consistent with the child’s human dignity…” (CRC)
STF Chapters are working with administrators, teachers, students and parents to develop a Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights that will help their schools become more human rights friendly. STFers will accomplish this by:
- Building coalitions on campus to ensure all aspects of the school community are represented;
- Identifying which issues are of most concern to students and educators on campus; and
- Garnering support from school decision-makers to ensure that our schools uphold the human rights of our current and future classmates long after we graduate.
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Advocacy Goals: Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights
Coalition Building
Tap into our Ally Building Resources to help build support on campus and within your community to draft a Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights.
Develop an SBRR
Check out Palisades Charter HS 2016 SBRR for inspiration on what can be included in your own Bill of Responsibilities and Rights.
Get Started On Campus
There are multiple starting points for drafting your Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights on campus. The first step is to review and personalize the Action Handbook for your campus. The other five steps can be taken simultaneously and worked on as needed throughout the process.
SBRR Action Handbook for STF
Talking to School Administrators
Student, Teacher and Parent Allies
Take Your School's Temperature
Draft and Distribute the SBRR
Engagement Activities Ideas
Educational Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Glossary
(coming soon)
Testimonies
Students’ Rights Myth vs. Facts from ACLU
Example Student Bill of Rights
Schools and universities around the world have developed their own “Student Bill of Rights”. Here are some samples you can review for insipiration for your own Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights:
Educator's Portal
For educators interested in teaching students how to build empathy around the Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights action plan, please explore the resources below.
Taking the Human Rights Temperature of Your School Survey
Participants evaluate their school’s human rights climate using criteria derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The subsequent discussion builds towards identifying areas of particular concern and developing an action plan to begin addressing them. This activity can be easily adapted for assessing the human rights temperature of one’s family, neighborhood, or other community group.
Subjects: All subjects
Grades: 6-12
Human Rights Friendly Schools
HRE USA works with Amnesty International USA to bring the “Becoming a Human Rights Friendly School” program to schools and school districts in the United States. This program provides guidelines and resources to help school personnel, students, parents/guardians and community members develop a school culture and related programs that support the implementation of human rights education.
Subjects: All subjects
Grades: All grades
10 Community-Building Ideas
Teachers have long known that feeling safe and secure in school helps students focus their energy on learning. And the research bears that out: A 2018 study found that when teachers deliberately foster a sense of belonging by greeting each student at the door of the class, they see “significant improvements in academic engaged time and reductions in disruptive behavior.” Some of the activities take less than five minutes. They’re divided up among the grades, but many can apply across all of the years from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Subjects: All subjects
Grades: All grades