The Clark County School District Board of Trustees approved changes to its high school graduation ceremony policies on May 8, ending a legal dispute with the ACLU of Nevada regarding students’ rights to express their culture at graduation.
The new policy allows students to wear up to five stoles and decorate their caps, clarifying that regalia can only be prohibited if it is likely to cause substantial disruption or displays messages involving harassment, bullying, or discrimination as defined by state law. The updated rules remove mandatory pre-approvals for regalia but encourage voluntary review for items that might be removed and establish an appeals process for denied requests.
The ACLU of Nevada filed a lawsuit against the district in May 2025 after concerns that inconsistent enforcement across schools prevented some students from wearing cultural accessories. “For the last few years, we heard complaints from students and families about CCSD administrators enforcing unconstitutional restrictions on students’ decorating their caps and gowns at graduation. While we raised that concern with CCSD multiple times in multiple scenarios, we were ultimately forced to sue the district in federal court last spring. Our settlement here with the Clark County School District is a positive one and required CCSD to amend its policy to comply with the First Amendment provisions as agreed upon with ACLU of Nevada. Hopefully this will be the last time we have to deal with this issue, but as always, we will be monitoring enforcement of the policy. It would be prudent for administrators to understand that violations of the First Amendment will not be treated with understanding moving forward and will result in new legal actions. Students and families deserve to be able to mark graduation in a way that honors their culture and their journeys without school officials trying to be the arbiters of the First Amendment,” said Athar Haseebullah.
In May 2025, Federal Judge Richard Boulware ruled during an emergency hearing that two stoles—one reading “Black Girl Magic” on kente cloth and another representing ACLU of Nevada’s Emerging Leaders program—were protected forms of expression under law. The district was ordered at that time to send emergency guidance affirming these rights.
As part of settling the case (ACLU of Nevada v Clark County School District), CCSD agreed both to update its policies reflecting constitutional protections for student expression under U.S. and Nevada law and pay attorneys’ fees incurred by ACLU of Nevada.
ACLU of Nevada protects civil liberties through initiatives like Firewall for Freedom; serves as state affiliate for American Civil Liberties Union; operates statewide safeguarding residents’ rights; engages in class action lawsuits contesting unconstitutional practices; functions within civil rights advocacy via legal actions and policy advancements—all according to the official website.
Observers say this agreement could set precedent within other districts considering similar policies about student expression during milestone events.
