Courts have long held that public school teachers are "state actors" when they carry out the duties of their job. Despite this, very few teacher preparation programs include an education law class. In order to understand teachers' legal literacy, a survey was given to 300 public school teachers in Indiana. The survey assessed knowledge…

Court decisions in 1988 expanded the power of school boards to set policies regarding the operation of the public schools. Cases are discussed under the following sections: (1) public school assignment, tuition, transportation, home instruction, and compulsory attendance; (2) private and parochial schools; (3) substantive rights of students,…

The sharp increase in the number of cases that involve school antidrug policies continued in 1987. Courts continued to support school policies that contain an automatic suspension or expulsion penalty for school drug possession. First Amendment religious cases also continued to increase in number. A new grouping of cases under the heading…