CCSD Ends Legal Battle with ACLU of Nevada with New Graduation Policy

May 8, 2026 11:00 am

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LAS VEGAS – The Clark County School District Board of Trustees on Thursday night approved changes to the district’s policies for high school graduation ceremonies, ending a lengthy legal battle with the ACLU of Nevada about the rights of students to express their culture alongside their cap and gown.

The policy approved Thursday makes clear that students can wear up to five stoles and flat decorations on caps. The new policy also limits regalia items that can be prohibited at graduation to items likely to cause a substantial disruption, including items that display messages containing harassment or bullying – as defined under state law – or discrimination. The new policy removes mandatory pre-approvals for graduation regalia but encourages students to seek approval for items that might be subject to removal. It also creates an appeals process for students and families who have been subject to a denial.

ACLU of Nevada sued CCSD in May 2025 to address what the organization has said had become a perennial issue. Under the previous policy, CCSD practice suggested students would not be allowed to participate in a graduation ceremony with cultural regalia that didn’t receive pre-approval. Different high schools were enforcing different standards, and a student in ACLU of Nevada’s Emerging Leaders program was told they couldn’t wear cultural accessories.

ACLU of Nevada executive director Athar Haseebullah (he/him) said:

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.”

Federal Judge Richard Boulware ruled during a May 2025 emergency court hearing that two stoles, one which displayed the phrase “Black Girl Magic” on kente cloth and one representing the ACLU of Nevada’s Emerging Leaders program, were lawfully protected forms of expression, and the school district was required to send emergency guidance to schools.

As part of the settlement agreement, CCSD was required to update its policy to reflect the rights of students under the U.S. Constitution and Nevada law and also agreed to pay ACLU of Nevada attorneys’ fees.

The case is ACLU of Nevada v Clark County School District, Case No. 2:25-cv-00892.

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