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The flagship program

The 1A Rights Education & Public Records Lab

The Lab is the year-round nonprofit program of Rights & Records Institute. It provides practical education on rights encounters, public records requests, responsible citizen journalism, digital evidence handling, de-escalation, and scholarship access — and creates free resources that remain available beyond the 1A Auditor Summit.

Get the Starter Kit Browse the Resource Library

Educational information, not legal advice. The Lab teaches rights, limits, and lawful conduct in plain language. Laws vary by jurisdiction; consult qualified counsel for specific legal questions.

The Lab is the nonprofit education engine behind the Summit’s charitable activities. It is the home for curriculum development, legal literacy, public records training, public resource production, scholarship access, responsible publishing education, digital safety, and evaluation.

A participant might attend the Summit, receive a scholarship, learn right-to-record basics, practice public records requests, adopt a responsible publishing checklist, and leave with a digital evidence workflow. The Resource Library then gives that person a way to keep learning after the event — and to share the materials with others.

Program pillars

Six disciplines, one calm and lawful standard.

The Lab’s curriculum spans the full arc of competent civic documentation — from knowing your rights to publishing responsibly.

  • Rights Education

    Constitutional rights in public encounters, public forums, and lawful access — in plain language.

  • Public Records

    How to request, narrow, track, appeal, and preserve government records the right way.

  • Responsible Publishing

    Verification, context, redaction, corrections, privacy, and public-interest judgment.

  • Digital Safety & Evidence Integrity

    Preserving originals, organizing evidence, backups, and reducing privacy risk.

  • De-escalation & Encounter Readiness

    Calm communication, safety planning, distance, disengagement, and post-incident notes.

  • Scholarship & Access

    Reducing financial and accessibility barriers so more people can learn this work.

What’s live, what’s next

Honest status across every track.

We publish what’s ready and clearly label what isn’t. Here is what each Lab track offers at launch, and where it’s headed.

Rights Education Lab

At launch
First and Fourth Amendment basics; right-to-record field guide coming soon.
Future expansion
Recorded modules, state-specific explainers, and attorney-reviewed workshops.

Public Records Lab

At launch
Public Records Request Starter Kit (live); bodycam template pack coming soon.
Future expansion
State law hub, request tracker spreadsheet, and records appeals workshop.

Responsible Publishing Lab

At launch
Responsible publishing checklist coming soon.
Future expansion
Creator editorial standards, corrections policy, redaction training, media ethics sessions.

Digital Safety & Evidence Integrity

At launch
Evidence preservation checklist coming soon.
Future expansion
Secure storage workflows, metadata basics, account security, livestream safety.

De-escalation & Encounter Readiness

At launch
Encounter readiness checklist coming soon.
Future expansion
Scenario workshops, post-incident timeline worksheet, and safety planning.

Scholarship & Access

At launch
Scholarship interest form and donor funding pathway (open).
Future expansion
Annual scholarship cohort, recipient reporting, and livestream access.

How the Lab teaches

Six habits we build in every learner.

The Lab is not about provocation. It’s about discipline, accuracy, and care.

  • Know the rules before the encounter

    Learn the law, limits, and context before you record, request, publish, or escalate.

  • Request the records before assuming the story

    Public records are essential to accuracy, accountability, and responsible reporting.

  • Preserve the original evidence

    Keep raw files, timestamps, metadata, agency responses, and source documents organized and backed up.

  • Publish with context

    Clips, captions, and headlines should not mislead about what happened, what is alleged, and what is known.

  • Calm is a civic skill

    De-escalation, distance, preparation, and exit planning strengthen lawful accountability work.

  • Make the tools public

    Templates, checklists, guides, and lessons should reach people who cannot attend in person.

Help build the Lab’s curriculum.

Grants and gifts fund instructor stipends, legal review, scholarships, and free public resources. See the roadmap, or contact us about a board or advisory role.

Support the Lab See the roadmap