Addresses the problem of disclosure of sensitive information contained in special-education records and proposes a number of measures school districts can take to protect the confidentiality of general student records. (77 footnotes) (MLF)

Two landmark court cases have upheld the constitutional right of handicapped children to a publicly supported educational program, and to various procedural safeguards to insure fair implementation of that right. Neither case deals directly with the right to an "adequate" education. Presents arguments lawyers could present in raising this adequacy…

Argues that basic records on a child's performance in school, including his academic and extracurricular skills, are clearly necessary for both the child and the school. However, the voluminous subjective or unverifiable material that goes into a child's file should not become part of his permanent file. Parents of each child should have full…

Reviews past history of access of religious activities in public schools in relation to the establishment clause of the First Amendment and sets forth the prerequisites in the Equal Access Act of 1984 for creating a well-defined forum for student-initiated free speech including religious groups in public high schools. (MD)

Examines legislative responses to campus unrest. (Author)

Explores the continuing difficulties facing federal courts when pressed with coverage decisions under the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In a San Diego decision upholding the "appropriateness" of an emotionally disturbed student's placement in a private residential treatment center, the district court departed…

Explores alleged abridgements of students' federal rights regarding sexual harassment by school employees or by classmates. Examines claims based on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Fourteenth Amendment. Despite federal protections, students carry a heavy burden of proof in establishing that their rights have been impaired by…

Dissatisfaction with the previous special-education appeals system led Britain to adopt the 1993 Education Act, which created the Special Needs Tribunal (SENT). The tribunal aims to provide consistency of treatment within and among local education authorities and to avoid the confusion caused by varying and inconsistent LEA policies and decisions.…

Summarizes (1) two recently proposed pieces of legislation that offer federal aid to mathematics and science education; (2) court decisions that concern education at all levels; and (3) law review digests of federal and state issues. (MLF)

Analyzes the legal controversies that have arisen when students with disabilities have sought to participate in interscholastic sports. Offers suggestions for handling such controversies in a way that reasonably accommodates the needs of students with disabilities without harming the positive values of organized public school sports programs. (69…

Discusses whether notice and a hearing are required when a student is transferred, for disciplinary reasons, from a New York vocational school to another school. Proposes amending the law to expressly require the same due process protection for disciplinary lateral transfers as is required for student suspensions. (Author/MLF)

Argues for new analysis of language rights of Native-American students as enunciated in the Native American Languages Act (NALA). Current efforts to model federal legislation on "English Only" referenda potentially violate NALA's statement of rights and policy in favor of supporting students' native languages. Does not take into account…

Argues against the Supreme Court's overturning of lower court decisions in support of a deaf child's right to a classroom interpreter. Reproaches the majority opinion for ignoring "a clear legislative mandate" from the federal government to provide handicapped children with educational opportunities equal to those provided nonhandicapped…

Examines the history and various educational constructs underlying different programs for at-risk students and recent federal and state legislative definitions of at-risk students. Presents a legal analysis of the different types of definitions; determines the social construction of reality implicit in the definitions and poses possible…