Examines the consitutional guarantee of freedom of religion and how the courts have applied it to different areas of school law and school-church relations. (JG)

Discusses four philosophical approaches that might be applied by the United States Supreme Court in considering cases involving the equal protection clause of the Constitution. Emphasizes the probable impact of each approach on school finance cases such as the Rodriguez case. (JG)

This document presents "Indiana v. Jamie L. Curtis," a fictional court case stemming from the search by school officials of a student's bookbag. The case is based upon the actual U.S. Supreme Court case of New Jersey v. T.L.O., which involved similar facts. The document includes background materials on the Fourth Amendment to the U.S.…

In New Jersey vs. T.L.O. (1985) the Supreme Court clarified and limited the student's Fourth Amendment rights against "unreasonable searches and seizures." When school officials act alone and on their own authority, they need not obtain a warrant but may conduct a search based on the lesser standard of "reasonableness." (LHW)

Traces development of the law concerning teachers' rights to criticize the administration or board of education of their school district and analyzes the present state of the law as reflected in recent state and federal court decisions. (JG)

The likely consequences of applying traditional due process standards, expecially formal adversary hearings, to the public school are examined. The ruling in Goss v. Lopez suggests that fair treatment can still be expected if the hearings are treated as opportunities for candid and informal exchange rather than prepunishment ceremonies. (LBH)

The scope of this book is limited to a study of case law encompassing the major decisions of the United States Supreme Court involving religion and education. It is intended to aid readers in predicting the legal ramifications of various legislative enactments and administrative policies affecting the schools and in understanding the reasoning and…

This paper is a presentation, in outline form, of the development of the "quasi-nonpublic forum," where cases involving student free speech push the envelope of what is acceptable under Constitutional law and what is appropriate/acceptable student behavior under constraints set by school regulations. Context is set by presenting court…

The existence and exercise of a teacher's authority to use corporal punishment in disciplining students has been challenged in both Louisiana and federal courts. Recent developments and posit solutions where the law is unsettled are reviewed. Available from: the Louisiana State University Law School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (LBH)

Describes the Supreme Court graduation-prayer decision in "Lee v. Weisman" (1992) and implications of the "Jones v. Clear Creek Independent School District" case, which the Court decided not to review in 1993. Discusses the New Jersey graduation-prayer experiment and ruling of third District Circuit Court Judge Theodore A.…

Offers a lesson in which students examine the issue of mandatory drug and alcohol testing in public schools. Students develop a policy for their own school after considering a hypothetical policy statement and attendant legal issues. (JDH)

The scenario: Pictures of children in various states of nudity are discovered in an elementary teacher's desk. What does one do? This paper offers guidance, much of it based on common sense, for administrators who may find themselves in a situation fraught with serious consequences if a mistake is made in determining the truth. Court decisions are…

A student's right to freedom of expression was well-protected by twenty years of legal history until the United States Supreme Court in its 1988 decision Hazelwood School District, et al. v. Kuhlmeier, et al. sharply limited this right by approving a school district's censorship of a high school newspaper. Prior to the Kuhlmeier decision courts…

With the alarming increase in drugs and weapons on American school campuses, teachers and school officials have stepped up their efforts to search lockers, other school property, and sometimes the students themselves. School officials must remember that any search of a student creates a Fourth Amendment issue. Thus, it is important to know the…