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Know Your Rights
Knowing your rights is the first step in standing up for them. That’s why the NYCLU offers New Yorkers numerous Know Your Rights guides, including:
Police Accountability and Criminal Justice Reform
Know Your Rights: What To Do If You’re Stopped by the Police
Que Hacer Si Te Para La Policia
Know Your Rights with Police in Schools
Reproductive Rights
Do My Parents Have to Know? Your Rights to Sexual Health Services
Minors' Rights to Confidential Reproductive Health Care in New York State
Teenagers, Health Care and the Law
Minors and Rape Crisis Treatment
Your Rights as a Pregnant or Parenting Teen
Tienen Que Saberlo Mis Padres?
Los Cuidados de Salud de los Adolescentes y la Ley
Your Breastfeeding Rights in New York
LGBT Rights
Know Your NYC Restroom Rights
Military Recruitment
No Student Left Unrecruited? Frequently Asked Questions about Military Recruitment and Students’ Rights
Ningún Estudiante Se Quede Sin Reclutar
Protecting Protest
Know Your Rights: Demonstrating in New York City
En Espanol
Que Hacer Si Te Para La Policia
Tienen Que Saberlo Mis Padres?
Los Cuidados de Salud de los Adolescentes y la Ley
Ningún Estudiante Se Quede Sin Reclutar
Click on any of the above links for additional information on each guide.
Do My Parents Have to Know? Your Rights to Sexual Health Services
This card summarizes the rights of minors in New York to confidential reproductive health services. The card also lists resources for free or low-cost care as well as the contact information for the Teen Health Initiative. Also in Chinese, Korean and Spanish.
Minors' Rights to Confidential Reproductive Health Care in New York State
This laminated card summarizes minors’ rights to reproductive and other health care in New York State for providers.
Teenagers, Health Care and the Law
A booklet with an in-depth analysis of minors' rights to health care in New York State including full legal citations.
Your Breastfeeding Rights in New York State
Find out about your rights at the hospital, in public, and at work.
To order copies of Do My Parents Have to Know? Your Rights to Sexual Health Services, Minors' Rights to Confidential Reproductive Health Care in New York State, Teenagers, Health Care and the Law, or Your Breastfeeding Rights in New York State call 212-607-3339 or email thi@nyclu.org with the title of the card, quantity, your first and last name and mailing address. The first 5 copies are free to youth and service providers in New York.
Know Your NYC Restroom Rights
This laminated card covers the New York City Commission on Human Rights guidelines regarding sex-segregated bathrooms. Produced jointly with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy.
To order copies of Know your NYC Restroom Rights, call 212-607-3339 or email rrp@nyclu.org with the title of the card, quantity, your first and last name and mailing address.
Know Your Rights: What To Do If You’re Stopped By the Police (Que Hacer Si Te Para La Policia)
Text of Card
This guide covers civilian-police interactions on the street, in your car and in your home. The card focuses on Fourth Amendment rights in relation to searches and seizures and provides practical advice for getting through a police encounter safely and calmly, with your rights fully intact. Also available in Spanish.
To order free copies of What To Do if You're Stopped By The Police or Que Hacer Si Te Para La Policia, call 212-607-3388 or send an email to ajones@nyclu.org with the title of the card, quantity, your first and last name and mailing address.
Know Your Rights: Demonstrating in New York City
Read and Download Card
This brochure informs New Yorkers of the basic rules governing the right to engage in protest activity on public sidewalks, in public parks, and on public streets in New York City. The brochure also covers the right to distribute handbills or leaflets; the right to hold press conferences, demonstrations, and rallies; and the right to march on public sidewalks and in public streets.
To order free copies of Know Your Rights: Demonstrating in New York City, call 212-607-3358 or email arosmarin@nyclu.org with the title of the card, quantity, your first and last name and mailing address.
Know Your Rights With Police in Schools
This palm card covers the rights of public school students in New York City when interacting with School Safety Agents and police officers in schools. The card focuses on student Fourth Amendment rights when being searched by School Safety Agents, detailing under what circumstances a student, or his or her belongings, can and cannot be searched. The card covers backpack searches, locker searches and metal detector scans, as well as interrogation by School Safety Agents, arrests on school grounds, and how to file a complaint against an abusive School Safety Agent or police officer.
To order free copies of Know Your Rights with Police in Schools, call 212-607-3388 or send an email to ajones@nyclu.org with the title of the card, quantity, your first and last name and mailing address.
Minors and Rape Crisis Treatment
This card summarizes the rights of minors in New York to confidential care that may be necessary following a sexual assault. The card also lists resources for sexual assault survivors.
To order copies of Minors and Rape Crisis Treatment, use the order form here, call 212-607-3339 or email rrp@nyclu.org with the title of the card, quantity, your first and last name and mailing address. The first 5 copies are free to youth and service providers in New York.
This palm card covers students’ rights in relation to military recruitment. The guide pays special attention to military recruiters’ access to student contact information, presence on high school campuses and the rights of student groups. Also available in Spanish.
To order free copies of No Student Left Unrecruited? or Ningún Estudiante Se Quede Sin Reclutar call 212-607-3358 or send an email to arosmarin@nyclu.org with the title of the card, quantity, your first and last name and mailing address.
Your Rights as a Pregnant or Parenting Teen
This card summarizes the rights of teens in New York who think they may be pregnant, are pregnant or have a child. The Rights of Pregnant and Parenting Teens is a guide to the laws protecting pregnant and parenting teens in New York State including full legal citations.
To order copies of Your Rights as a Pregnant or Parenting Teen or The Rights of Pregnant and Parenting Teens, use the order form here, call 212-607-3339 or email rrp@nyclu.org with the title of the card, quantity, your first and last name and mailing address. The first 5 copies are free to youth and service providers in New York.
Students' Rights and Responsibilities when Facing a Suspension
If you are facing a possible suspension at school, there are some important things you should know to protect your rights. In New York State, every individual under the age of 21 who does not have a high school diploma has the right to attend a public school.[1] For certain serious offenses, students can be suspended for anywhere from 1 day to a year or more, but the school must follow certain rules and procedures before this can happen. This guide will help you understand and protect your rights in this situation.