The zero tolerance policy movement across most of this country's school districts significantly limited school personnel's disciplinary alternatives for students who break rules on campus. This has resulted in millions of primary and secondary age students who have experienced suspension, arrests, and for some, expulsion. Within the student…

The author argues that if the "Goss" decision is taken only in its formal sense, certain characteristics of the schools as bureaucracies may militate against comprehension of and compliance with it. (Author/IRT)

This paper explores how states have addressed the issue of judging teachers' off-duty behavior through statute and what the courts have said about this issue. The statutory schemes of the 50 states and the courts' analysis of the same indicate that educators are held to a higher standard of behavior than people in other professions. Teachers play…

This paper addresses the legal tension between a teacher's right to privacy and a school board's right to demand exemplary conduct by teachers in and out of school. The watershed case in the area of a teacher's right to a private life appears to be "Morrison v. Board of Education" (California 1969), which identified factors that a board may…

Well-drafted codes of discipline can help to eliminate the ambiguity and arbitrariness that often have been associated with school discipline. Discipline codes should be characterized by fairness, fact-finding provisions, completeness of information, frankness, flexibility, informality, firmness, concern with disciplinary suitability,…

The main purpose of this book is to draw attention to a subject which is, or should be, of concern to virtually every citizen--judges, legislators, school officials, teachers, pupils, and parents. The school is not immune to the "sex revolution" that is going on in society, and is therefore obligated to keep abreast of developments. The main…

According to the Supreme Court of Canada, when a teacher's conduct out of the classroom impairs the integrity of the education system, the values it instills, and the public's confidence in the education system and its teachers, the employer school board is obliged to take disciplinary action, even if the conduct is not criminal. Five examples are…

Intended to serve as a practical guide for principals, this book analyzes the implications of recent court interpretations of constitutional and statutory law as it applies to the disciplinary policies and practices of schools. Emphasis is placed on the effects of the law on the actions of school administrators in Illinois, and several sections of…

A Florida State Department of Education technical assistance paper on expulsion of handicapped students is presented. Contents are as follows: historical information on court decisions, issues questions and answers, brief summaries of seven court cases dealing with expulsion of handicapped students, and sample materials from three local school…

Cites court cases where school boards presented evidence that a teacher's lifestyle or conduct provided grounds for dismissal. (HOD)

This column about federal government actions impacting school services for students with communication disorders examines concerns related to billing by schools providing Medicaid services, summarizes federal Medicaid regulations, and discusses ethical considerations and suggested actions for speech-language pathologists and audiologists. The…

Decisions by the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education contained in this publication are on appeals made by 33 professional school personnel against actions taken by their school boards. For each case, the employee (appellant) and district (appellee) are cited with a teacher tenure appeal number, the reason for the appeal, findings of fact that…

To assist administrators in understanding procedural due process rights in student discipline, this manual draws together hundreds of citations and case summaries of federal and state court decisions and provides detailed commentary as well. Chapter 1 outlines the general principles of procedural due process rights in student discipline, such as…