Curriculum

Learn

Learn modules

Learn is a path of eight short modules. Each one takes about ten minutes. Open a module, read it, answer the four check questions at the end, and mark it complete. The modules build on each other, so starting with A is a good idea, but you can open any of them in any order.

The modules mostly use United States law as the example, because many of our readers live there and the court decisions are public. Each module also tells you what to check if you live somewhere else.

Progress levels

• Reader: finished two modules.
• Analyst: finished five modules.
• Civic Builder: finished the full path.

Members can save progress. Anyone can read the public pages.

The modules

1. AWhat is a right?A constitution, a statute, a school handbook, and a platform's terms of service are four different kinds of documents. This module explains who writes each one, who has to follow it, and which one wins when they conflict. It is the foundation for everything else on the site.
2. BExpression in public schoolIn Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court said students do not lose their free-speech rights at the schoolhouse gate, but schools can limit speech that would substantially disrupt school. This module covers Tinker and the later cases that added other tests, including Bethel v. Fraser (1986), Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988), Morse v. Frederick (2007), and Mahanoy v. B.L. (2021) on off-campus posts. It ends with a reminder to check the law where you live.
3. COfficial searches and phonesSchool officials and police follow different standards. In New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985), the Court held that public-school officials need reasonable suspicion, which is a lower bar than the probable cause police usually need. This module compares the two settings, looks at limits like Safford v. Redding (2009), and explains why Riley v. California (2014), a case about police searching phones after an arrest, does not automatically decide what a school can do.
4. DDiscipline and noticeIn Goss v. Lopez (1975), the Court said a public-school student facing a short suspension is entitled to notice of the charges and a chance to tell their side. This module explains that minimum and why more serious penalties, such as long suspensions or expulsion, usually come with more process.
5. EYouth court as a separate systemJuvenile court works differently from adult criminal court. In re Gault (1967) held that young people in delinquency cases have rights to notice, a lawyer, and protection against self-incrimination, and In re Winship (1970) required proof beyond a reasonable doubt. This module explains the basics. It does not help with a real court date. If you have one, talk with a lawyer.
6. FHow to read a court decisionA Supreme Court opinion starts with a caption, a docket number, and a syllabus, a summary written by the Court's Reporter of Decisions that is not part of the opinion itself. This module shows you how to find the question the Court answered, the holding, the reasoning, any dissents, and what the case did not decide.
7. GHours, chat, and staffHow YCP's own tools work: how saved chat is moderated, how volunteer hours are logged and approved, what a verification letter shows, and why YCP staff are educators and not lawyers.
8. HCivic voice in real lifePractical civic skills you can use at any age: reading a case before you argue about it, using a public-comment slot at a school board or city council meeting, contacting an elected official, and requesting a public record where the law allows it.

Member lessons

Member lessons go deeper than the modules and are built for groups, such as a class or club meeting.

More lessons are added as they are written and reviewed.

A note on these pages

Learn is education. It explains general rules and how to look them up. It cannot predict how a specific situation will turn out, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are in danger, contact local emergency services.