Recent appellate court decisions concerning private social clubs, unreported decisions brought by fraternities, and developments in related case law have strengthened the position that college social fraternity chapters at public colleges and universities may claim a full range of legal protections under the constitutional doctrine known as…

This document consists of the first 16 volumes (47 issues) of a serial devoted to law-related education (LRE) that offers background information on a wide range of legal issues as well as teaching strategies for LRE. Issues of the magazine focus on the law as it affects schools and young people, with articles on school discipline, juvenile…

Teacher improvement programs must comply with federal and state constitutional requirements for due process, equal protection, and freedom of speech, as well as state and federal laws covering collective bargaining, civil rights, and the authority to institute improvement programs. This booklet explores these legal considerations, focusing on…

Religion's place in the curriculum and how school administrators can avoid litigation while discharging the obligation to educate are discussed in this report. It is designed to give school policymakers guidance in arriving at informed decisions about religion's place in the curriculum. Chapter one examines the dilemma of adequately educating…

This book describes the actions that led to the 1973 United States Supreme Court case to establish administrator rights, "Holstrop v. Illinois Junior College District 515." The book was written by the plaintiff, who believed that he had been illegally removed from his presidency at Prairie State College, a junior college in Illinois.…

Sketches recent struggles over censorship and student publications, beginning with the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier case. Argues the flurry of litigation concerning First Amendment rights necessitates including these concerns in social studies courses. (CH)

Court decisions in two cases concerning the University of Nevada at Las Vegas's suspension of an athletic coach because of institutional violations of National Collegiate Athletic Association regulations are discussed, focusing on the courts' applications of state action doctrine (subjection to scrutiny under constitutional law) and coercion…

This report on a preventive law institute held in Texas in 1981 includes an introduction, three papers, a summary of discussions, and a concluding statement. In the introduction Christiane Hyde Citron defines preventive law as decision making that takes constitutional and case law into consideration and that includes four basic steps: (1)…

Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 was designed as a flexible and broadly scoped statute to restrict a wide variety of actions of state officials. During the past 15 years the number of court cases in which provisions of the 1871 act have been applied to school-related issues has increased geometrically. In 1961 the provisions of the act…

Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish parochial schools have always had religious studies as part of their curriculum, but there has been the question about whether public schools can also. "In 1962 two U.S. Supreme Court cases (Abington School District vs. Schempp and Engle vs. Vitale) prohibited the practice of Bible reading in public schools.…

The impact of a college administrator's decision that imposes conditions on enrollment of an emotionally or mentally impaired student is examined in the context of constitutional and federal law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The school's responsibility in such cases is discussed including providing the student with…

Public university restriction of faculty expression on the institution's World Wide Web server is discussed based on recent Supreme Court decisions. It is proposed that in some circumstances, content-based restriction of faculty expression is permissible and will not violate the First Amendment academic freedom rights of faculty. (MSE)

This guide reviews legal standards inherent in the First Amendment and recommends management techniques that ensure employees' free speech rights while maintaining school efficiency. Section 1, "Introduction," presents an overview of the trend toward litigation in which public employees allege that school officials have violated First…

School finance reform through court action has failed on the federal level and has had mixed success in state courts. State litigation focuses primarily on equal protection provisions and on constitutional working. The 1976 "Serrano v. Priest" decision in California has given the finance reform movement impetus from its assertion that an equal…

The Capital Area School Development Association, New York, sponsored a school law conference to fulfill a need in the region for school board members and administrators who desire to maintain and improve their knowledge in the area of school law. This document contains the text or outline of the following four presentations: (1) "Preserving…