Federal · Title 20 — Education

20 U.S.C. § 4071: Denial of equal access prohibited

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

Federal law prohibits public secondary schools receiving federal funding from denying equal access to student-initiated meetings based on religious, political, or philosophical content, while preserving schools' authority to maintain order and discipline.

Read the full statutory text
It shall be unlawful for any public secondary school which receives Federal financial assistance and which has a limited open forum to deny equal access or a fair opportunity to, or discriminate against, any students who wish to conduct a meeting within that limited open forum on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings. A public secondary school has a limited open forum whenever such school grants an offering to or opportunity for one or more noncurriculum related student groups to meet on school premises during noninstructional time. the meeting is voluntary and student-initiated; there is no sponsorship of the meeting by the school, the government, or its agents or employees; employees or agents of the school or government are present at religious meetings only in a nonparticipatory capacity; the meeting does not materially and substantially interfere with the orderly conduct of educational activities within the school; and nonschool persons may not direct, conduct, control, or regularly attend activities of student groups. to influence the form or content of any prayer or other religious activity; to require any person to participate in prayer or other religious activity; to expend public funds beyond the incidental cost of providing the space for student-initiated meetings; to compel any school agent or employee to attend a school meeting if the content of the speech at the meeting is contrary to the beliefs of the agent or employee; to sanction meetings that are otherwise unlawful; to limit the rights of groups of students which are not of a specified numerical size; or to abridge the constitutional rights of any person. Notwithstanding the availability of any other remedy under the Constitution or the laws of the United States, nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to authorize the United States to deny or withhold Federal financial assistance to any school. Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to limit the authority of the school, its agents or employees, to maintain order and discipline on school premises, to protect the well-being of students and faculty, and to assure that attendance of students at meetings is voluntary.

Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.