Two federal appellate courts heard cases with similar fact patterns and the same issue--are school districts liable for student-caused sexually hostile environments under Title IX? Since the courts reached different conclusions, this issue seems ripe for consideration by the Supreme Court. No student should have to run a gauntlet of abuse to…

Reviews six Supreme Court decisions on sexual harassment since 1992, three of which were education cases. Suggests content of school board policy to comply with Court's sexual-harassment decisions and thus limit liability under Title IX for offenses involving students and Title VII for acts involving school personnel. (PKP)

The Supreme Court's ruling in a flag-burning case raises questions about whether antiharassment policies that colleges and universities have adopted, penalizing slurs and epithets used by students to harass others, violate the First Amendment to the Constitution. If public college policies were found unconstitutional, private colleges would not…

Increased willingness to speak out about sexual harassment has several implications for the academic community. Faculty must behave carefully at all times, understand the risk of having a relationship with a student, and avoid sexual overtures. Recent court decisions offer some guidelines for conduct and for determination if harassment exists.…

Discusses the appropriateness and legality of Internet filters in any type of library and suggests that there is a much less tenable legal justification for Internet filters in academic libraries. Topics include freedom of speech; pornography versus obscenity; sexual harassment; applicable court cases; and acceptable use policies. (LRW)

Explores how sexual harassment has long been a problem in music departments, and that two cases at top public colleges, the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and the University of Texas Austin, are drawing attention to the issue. (EV)

Reviews employment discrimination cases in higher education in 2000, which included an overwhelming number of retaliation and denial of promotion to tenure claims; case law also included age discrimination, religious discrimination, and sexual harassment issues, and a handful of wage discrimination cases. Courts also continued to explore the…

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that public schools may be sued for failing to confront students who harass their classmates. This article explains the ruling, defines three levels of peer harassment, and outlines guidelines for school officials. Swift investigations and legally defensible policies and procedures are essential. (MLH)

After being accused of sexually harassing a student, a high school math teacher in New York was suspended with pay pending an impartial hearing. The district allowed the teacher to return to his classroom to collect his personal effects, which he had kept in boxes, desk drawers, and three filing cabinets, one of which was locked. He did not…

Sexual harassment is a pervasive problem on our nation's college and university campuses, one that can have devastating results. Educational institutions had been shielded from liability for sexual harassment until the late 1990s, when two landmark Supreme Court decisions set forth a new standard for liability of institutions where students are…

This paper addressed the need for continued awareness on the part of Educational Administrators as to their legal responsibilities as instructional leaders and custodians of the students under their supervision. Research revealed that school administrators unknowingly are violating the law everyday. Courts are keeping a close eye on school…

Prepared by the District of Columbia Street Law Project for its 18th annual city-wide mock trial competition, this instructional handout provides the material for a mock sexual harassment trial. Elyse Roberts, an assistant district attorney with the Office for the District Attorney of the District of Columbia, claims that Kevin Murphy, with whom…

In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published the Guidelines on Sexual Harassment, specifying that sexual harassment is a kind of sex discrimination under Title VII and is an unlawful employment practice. While the determination of the behaviors that constitute sexual harassment would enable employees to write more…

Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled in "Davis" that a student can sue for damages if school officials know a student is being sexually harassed but fail to intervene. (MLF)

Sexual harassment violates Title VII of the 1965 Civil Rights Act. School systems that do not take steps to prevent sexual harassment are neglecting their responsibilities and are vulnerable to costly legal action. Lists steps school executives should take to halt sexual harassment. (MLF)