The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted enormous financial damage on colleges and universities and the cost is still growing. American higher education will undergo an unprecedented financial crisis in the coming months. "Critical Care" is a plan to guide the federal response to these unprecedented disruptions facing higher education in…

A parent brings a cyber bullying incident to your attention and expects you to resolve it. What are the students' rights and your responsibilities according to the law? Because the laws regarding disciplinary action are still evolving, this manual fills the gap by providing public school leaders with data-driven solutions for managing cyber…

Updated for the first time since 2005, this indispensable volume includes revised interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights along with key intellectual freedom guidelines and policies, including: (1) A new chapter, "Interactivity and the Internet," and other fresh material on intellectual freedom and privacy in online social…

Describes a yearly series of about 10 classes in which a constitutional law teacher and a property law teacher blend their classes to team-teach a topic that has a solid footing in each course: the law applicable to governmental takings of private property for public use. (EV)

This report, for the first time ever, provides a state-by-state breakdown of the key elements a policymaker needs in order to understand the legal environment for school choice in any given state--and to craft appropriate legislation to expand educational opportunity. This guide is intended to arm policymakers and advocates with the essential…

Once a teacher can establish that conduct protected by the Constitution was the major cause of his/her dismissal, the burden of establishing another cause of termination falls on the school board. (Author/IRT)

With the Bicentennial Bookshelf as a foundation stone, communities will be able to stimulate public discourse on the meaning of constitutionalism in the United States through the use of this guide. Guidelines and model programs are provided for initiating reading and discussion programs, conferences, lectures series, and seminars and institutes.…

Questions arise about the constitutionality of including some form of prayer, usually an invocation or benediction, in public school graduation ceremonies, and whether such prayer can appropriately be delivered by a minister or other religious leader. The U. S. Supreme Court has not addressed this precise issue, but an analysis of other courts'…

Provides a checklist for administrators and board members to use in examining school policy to see if it can stand legal challenges. The list covers such areas as the educational soundness, precision, fairness, and equity of educational policies. (IRT)

Challenges to the admissions processes of colleges and universities have been successfully lodged on both contract and due process (14th Amendment) grounds. Reviews and categorizes these cases and suggests steps institutions can take to avoid litigation. (MLF)

The Principal's Legal Handbook contains information and recommendations for practice in four areas. Section 1, "Students and the Law," yields interesting and informative answers on a number of issues related to students and the law: recent issues in schools relative to students' rights; the use of technology; and the latest case law and…

This booklet reviews a broad array of factors affecting the immunity of school board members from personal liability for the results of their official acts. Among the factors examined are the federal doctrine of limited immunity as it applies to state officials; the possible extension of absolute immunity to school boards; the conditions under…

The goal of community forums is to stimulate and sustain citizen dialogue about public issues. Topical issues and controversies are used to explore the issue of freedom of expression. The discussion is framed around three different views. Those comprising the first view believe that the balance has swung too far toward unlimited freedom and that…

Presents divergent opinions of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (for the plurality), Justice Antonin Scalia, and Justice Harry Blackmun in the Supreme Court decision to return the case of "O'Connor v. Ortega" (questioning the constitutionality of searching a public employee's office) to the district court. O'Connor rejected the notion that…

Two issues are important in the controversy over religion in the schools: whether or not the approaches being advocated by religious groups are educationally sound, and the constitutional issue of the public's right to control its schools. (MD)