“Few civil rights are as central to the cause of human freedom as equal educational opportunity.” Education Secretary Arne Duncan offered that remark earlier this month in announcing his department’s renewed commitment to civil rights in American classrooms. He also put the nation’s schools on notice: The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights was back on the case. It has been missing in action for nearly a decade, creating either uneven law enforcement or willful injustice.

By now, most people have heard about Constance McMillen. Last week, her school in Fulton, Miss., cancelled its prom because Constance wanted to bring her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up Constance’s cause. So have a bunch of celebrities. Today, for instance, Constance will tell her story on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 

Last month, 12-year-old Alexa Gonzalez used an erasable marker to scribble on her desk. “I love my friends Abby and Faith,” she wrote, along with, “Lex was here. 2/1/10,” punctuated with a happy face. But neither her Spanish teacher nor the principal at Alexa’s Queens, New York, middle school were amused. They called school security—New York City police officers—who arrested and handcuffed Alexa, and walked her across the street to their precinct, according to the New York Daily News.