Addresses the question of whether student prayer groups should be allowed to use school facilities. The Equal Access Act allows all noncurricular student groups to meet, whereas four federal appellate court decisions ban prayer groups on the basis that separation between church and state outweighs students' right to free speech. (WTH)

Investigates the expansion of student due process rights and the discipline issues resolved by the United States Supreme Court. Considers lower court interpretations of these decisions and issues currently being raised. Suggests that legal cases which have nothing to do with discipline have affected the way school personnel view discipline.…

An overview of recent court decisions on prayer in public schools is followed by brief synopses of cases in nine areas concerning primary and secondary levels and four areas concerning higher education. Finally, law review articles on federal and state issues are summarized. (MD)

During the 1970s, courts repeatedly overruled acts of administrative censorship of high school publications, even when the publication in question included "earthy" language or attacks on school officials. The trend toward expanding students' First Amendment rights began in 1969 with the "tinker" ruling, which reaffirmed the right of three…