In this booklet, the Council of Supervisors and Administrators of the City of New York seeks to offer hope that teachers' and principals' capacity for the reasonable exercise of authority has not been exhausted. There is a body of legal opinion that supports the authority of the principal in disciplinary matters. It is a misconception that a…

This report discusses factors that lead to wide disagreement among educators about proper definitions of student rights and responsibilities. These factors include (1) the particular era in which a definition is formulated, (2) the role perspectives, (3) the values held, (4) the anticipated consequences, and (5) the implicit concepts held…

This report reviews legel problems related to students' rights by discussing the results of legal disputes involving primary and secondary student challenges to school district rules, regulations, and policies. The study is concerned solely with controversies involving Federal issues that have been heard by Federal courts. A summary of apparent…

Court cases involving student discipline, especially in regard to student publications and dress and appearance, is the subject of this chapter. The introduction discusses the doctrine of in locus parentis, the celebrated Supreme Court case of Tinker, and the minimum essentials for enforcing rules of student conduct. The first half of the chapter…

Educators and the public are divided over the value of implementing school-uniform policies in the public schools. This digest examines arguments for and against school-uniform policies, identifies legal considerations, and offers guidelines for implementing policies on student dress. Most parents have responded favorably to uniform policies,…

Providing explanatory information regarding the legal principles and issues affecting Catholic school educators, this handbook summarizes student rights, contractual arrangements, and state and federal requirements as they apply to parochial schools. The legal issues involved in torts of negligence, including establishment and violation of…

This is a collection of paper copies of overhead transparencies that were used for a presentation on student rights and school law. The presentation covered the following topics: (1) student First Amendment rights, focusing on freedom of speech expressed through speeches, articles in student newspapers, demonstrations, T-shirts, and the…

Focuses on judicial reception of schools' attempts to curb violence, particularly predatory violence and psychopathological violence. School responses have been to create violence-prevention policies based on punitive measures or punish offending behavior after it has occurred. Such reactions may result in finding that schools have abridged…

Opinions about students' rights were elicited from students attending an inner-city alternative high school, using a questionnaire. The questions focused on opinions on (1) freedom of speech, (2) due process, (3) suspension and corporal punishment, (4) vague regulations, (5) dress codes, and (6) students' governance of fellow students. Findings,…

Official policies concerning students' rights in Newfoundland and in the United States are examined, and standards of justification for students' rights are discussed. A questionnaire was sent to each school district superintendent in Newfoundland and to 100 selected superintendents in the State of Wisconsin. The response rate from Newfoundland…

This review of the literature should prove helpful to school administrators in their efforts to stay abreast of judicial limitations on their decisionmaking authority. The author cites literature that examines court decisions affecting student rights in general and publications discussing some of the court decisions that pertain to only one or two…

This publication contains articles that focus on the legal issues that confront schools when they use various means to maintain order and safeguard student well being, and examine the liability that may be imposed if they fail to do so. Following the foreword and the introduction, the articles include: (1) "Legal and Policy Issues in Curbing…

This booklet reviews twelve areas in which, in light of recent court cases, teachers should be made aware of changes in the status of student rights. These areas include (a) the right to an education, (b) due process, (c) "in loco parentis," (d) personal appearance, (e) marriage, (f) corporal punishment, (g) grades and diplomas, (h)…

Because recent legislation and court decisions have expanded the rights of all students, schools of the 70s must educate them about the responsibilities that go with these newly recognized rights. A nationwide survey indicates that many schools have established grievance procedures based on open communication and clearly stated policies. And many…

Student protest and misconduct have frequently resulted in the suspension or expulsion of a student. This monograph examines the school's authority to suspend or expel a student, with the purpose of determining when such an action is permissible and when it is prohibited because it infringes on a student's constitutional and, sometimes, statutory…