This book is designed to acquaint Missouri teachers with the state laws that affect them. Teachers' legal status, their rights, duties, and obligations are defined. Examples are taken from constitutional provisions, judicial decisions, and statutory enactments to show both general aspects of school law for all teachers and specific applications to Missouri teachers. Chapters cover the following information: (1) education in the governmental structure; (2) the purpose of public education; (3) Missouri's governmental structure and its effect on education; (4) legal status of teachers; (5) teachers' certificates; (6) contractual status of teachers; (7) teacher tenure; (8) teacher retirement; (9) tort liability of school districts and school employees; (10) miscellaneous legal rights, responsibilities, and limitations of teachers; (11) collective negotiations in the teaching profession; and (12) ethics for the teaching profession. A bibliography of 11 books on education law is appended. (FG)