Federal Court Orders School District to Protect Students’ Free Speech Rights, Orders Free Speech Training for Employees

Litigation that began in May 2023 to defend the free speech rights of students in Ohio has reached a victorious close in Defending Education’s case against Olentangy Public Schools over its unconstitutional anti-harassment and pronoun policies. On May 15, 2026, the court entered its consent decree in the case, ordering the School District not to enforce the “discriminatory language” and “harassment” provisions in its Code of Conduct against any student who refuses to use mandatory “preferred pronouns.” The court also ordered the School District to provide mandatory training to all employees at the beginning of the next school year on how to ensure students’ free speech rights are protected. Buoyed by our victory in this case, we now look forward to continuing our work strengthening First Amendment rights for students in schools across the country. 

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Read the full order: