A recent Supreme Court decision on a First Amendment case involving a teacher in Texas illustrates how teachers' and other public employees' rights to freedom of speech face serious erosion. The problem is deciding whether grievances fall into the protected area of "public concern" or the unprotected area of a "purely private…

Based on research conducted at Mississippi State University, Meridian (Mississippi) Public Schools, and Vicksburgh Public Schools, the intent of this study was to determine the general state of due process procedures in the practices of school officials throughout the southern region. All cases involving teacher dismissal in the Fifth Circuit…

Reviews judicial decisions involving school staff evaluation systems. Courts remain reluctant to interfere with the summative evaluation process of a school district. Administrators must apply reasoned, ascertainable standards in employment decisions in order to withstand judicial scrutiny amid the array of legal constraints on the evaluation of…

The relationship between public schools and their employees is one of the most frequently litigated aspects of American education. Accordingly, the chapters in this text present a comprehensive and current report of legal issues in public school employment. Chapter titles and authors are as follows: (1) "Critical Elements of the Employment…

This monograph reviews the law applying to defamation issues, cites various judicial decisions that affect colleges and universities, and offers guidance for minimizing the risk of defamation liability. It defines the two subclasses of defamatory statements: first, libel, which is a recorded or printed statement, and second, slander, which is…