There is now remarkable agreement on religion's proper constitutional and educational place in public education. A 1995 statement issued by 24 religious and educational groups reaffirms Americans' commitment to First Amendment principles, envisioning civil public schools that neither inculcate nor inhibit religion. Sidebars list resources for…

Discusses the extent to which public recreation programs can regulate attire which many people might consider offensive, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court states that school boards have the authority to decide what constitutes appropriate behavior and dress in public schools. One case involving a student who wanted to wear a Marilyn Manson…

Using recent establishment clause decisions concerning vocal prayer, silent meditation, and prayer groups in the public schools, this article suggests that courts have applied the seemingly consistent doctrine of the tripartite test to arrive at quite different results, based in part on extralegal sources. Two such sources are the attitudinal…

This paper reviews First Amendment federal court cases pertaining to religion in schools, suggesting that the findings reveal a judiciary uncertain of where to strike a balance between the interests of the majority and the rights of the minority. The first area discussed is public aid to private schools. The cases covered in this discussion…

This study surveyed principals, sponsors, advisers, and student editors concerning their knowledge of communication law in relation to freedom of the press under the First Amendment. Relevant court decisions were selected and the circumstances of ten composite cases were formulated; respondents were asked to indicate, for each case, how a judge…

Explores the responsibility incumbent upon student journalists, the school administration, and the community for upholding the First Amendment. (HTH)

Provides a six day unit of instruction designed to help senior high students understand the civil rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Based around provided summaries of famous court cases, the unit includes instructional objectives, suggested teaching procedures, and evaluation aids. (JDH)

This book discusses the key legal issues public schools face in using the World Wide Web, e-mail, and other computer technologies. Chapter 1 covers the foundations of school Internet law, including Supreme Court decisions, the legal standard of conduct, standards for technology literacy, and federal vs. state law. Chapter 2 discusses freedom of…

Over the last two decades, the co-authors of this book have worked together to build a tradition of intellectual freedom within public schools. The book describes their struggles as cultural workers, the pedagogical and legal strategies they employed, the resistance they encountered, the lessons they learned, and the impact that they have seen on…

By the early 1900s, many Americans were calling child labor child slavery and were demanding an end to it. Lewis Hine, a New York City schoolteacher and photographer, believed that a picture could tell a powerful story. He felt so strongly about the abuse of children as workers that he quit his teaching job and became an investigative photographer…

Seventeen national organizations have sponsored this statement of principles that reaffirm a shared commitment to the religious liberty clause of the First Amendment. The importance of religious liberty is asserted, as is recognition of the primary responsibility of parents in child rearing. (SLD)

Summarizes three case studies concerning the first amendment that address: (1) whether a state-owned television station can exclude a candidate from a televised debate; (2) whether decency conditions placed on grant projects by the National Endowment of the Arts censors freedom of expression; and (3) the constitutionality of the Line Item Veto…

Traditional efforts to reform education have not succeeded because the education system has resisted major change. Achieving meaningful reform will require educational restructuring, and this restructuring will have to be based on competition, which is a basic fact of every other profession. For this reason, many states are moving to adopt…

The focus of this chapter is on the substantive constitutional protections of the public school employment relationship guaranteed by the First Amendment, particularly freedom of speech, and by the Fourteenth Amendment's right to privacy. Included are burden-of-proof standards required for establishing a prima facie case of denial of these…

The government is a special employer that operates under the guidelines of the United States Constitution. Under these guidelines, government may not, without adequate justification, (1) deprive its citizens of fundamental, protected rights such as the freedoms of speech and association; (2) deprive a citizen of property or liberty without the due…