Keeping up with athletic equipment purchasing and safety/equity regulations is becoming increasingly complex. Schools should use a local dealer, have equipment suppliers help student athletes test new equipment, ensure that purchases meet all manufacture and design standards, attend to details, and order replacement parts beforehand. (MLH)

Discusses the implications of "Niziol," a case in which a Florida high school student was killed in the school parking lot when his gun accidentally discharged. The parents sued the school board in federal district court. The magistrate dismissed all the federal law claims, though she postponed her decision on the state law claims. (MLF)

Argues that school boards must focus on improving academic achievement within the context of budget cuts, the No Child Left Behind Act, and the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision that educational vouchers are constitutional. Recommends affirmative school-board action such as developing school-community partnerships. (PKP)