Can a Tennessee school force a student to use someone’s preferred pronouns? A new federal court ruling says no — unless the student’s speech crosses the line into bullying or harassment. Tennessee’s own laws now reinforce that schools can regulate harmful conduct, but they cannot punish students simply for having different beliefs about gender. This article explains what the ruling means for Tennessee families, how schools must adjust their policies, and the rights parents can expect going forward.

In this article, we are going to review how different courts across the country have applied that guidance to interrogations by SROs or outside law enforcement in a school setting. You will see that the outcome of each case shows the diversity of how the 5th Amendment is applied to students.