Despite the potential instructional benefits of integrating devices such as cell phones into schools and classrooms, research reveals that their improper use can negatively impact student behaviour, learning, and well-being. This paper reviews the literature and litigation on cell phone use in schools due to controversies over cheating,…

Courts have long held that public school teachers are "state actors" when they carry out the duties of their job. Despite this, very few teacher preparation programs include an education law class. In order to understand teachers' legal literacy, a survey was given to 300 public school teachers in Indiana. The survey assessed knowledge…

The purpose of this research study will be to examine teacher perceptions on various issues pertaining to school law in the State of Alabama. Having data on teacher perception in Alabama can help shape future educational policy so that teachers can have an understanding of what they should and are required to do in various ethical and moral…

Research in the field of out-of-school suspension and expulsion in K-12 public schools is limited when focusing on violence, due process, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and search and seizure. Understanding the role of an administrator when dealing with out-of-school suspension an expulsion led the researcher to develop the following question: What…

In an effort to safeguard the learning environment, school administrators generally rely on district or local school guidelines and professional judgment. With new technology, the proliferation of drug use, and increased school violence, schools have become a complex environment to manage for both system and local leadership. Administrators are…

Reviews the status of Supreme Court deliberations in questions surrounding a New Jersey school's search of a student's purse. The state courts found the search unreasonable and reversed a lower court decision. (MD)

In New Jersey v. T.L.O., the Supreme Court found that students have a right to personal privacy but that school officials need not obtain warrants to conduct searches if suspicion of wrongdoing is reasonable. The authors argue that the Court undervalues privacy and that students' right to privacy should be increased. (MT)

The Supreme Court has issued only one decision on a case involving the rights of public school students to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. The Court's decision, while resolving the crucial issue of the appropriate standard for assessing student searches, left a number of important questions wholly unanswered. (IAH)

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in New Jersey vs. T.L.O. suggests the legality of student searches by school officials should not depend on strict adherence to the probable cause standard, but on its reasonableness of suspicion and scope. (DCS)

A review of legal decisions provides thought-provoking considerations for administrators who want to deter drug use on campus. The United States Supreme Court has recognized that even a limited search of students is a substantial invasion of privacy, but also that school officials need to maintain school discipline. Guidelines for the…

The National School Safety Center pegs the number of gun-toting U.S. students at 100,000. Unless metal detectors are employed as part of a carefully thought-out school safety plan, their use is likely to be ineffective, controversial, and a legal minefield. Random student searches are becoming common. A sidebar describes a Washington, D.C., junior…

Public employee status in relation to office privacy has not been clarified by the recent Supreme Court decision in "O'Conner v. Ortega." The 1986 Handicapped Children's Protection Act's provision allowing courts to award attorney fees to parents who win cases on administrative rights is ambiguous. The implications for schools are…

In "New Jersey v. T.L.O." (1985), the U.S. Supreme Court reduced the evidentiary standard applying to search and seizure by school officials from "probable cause" to "reasonable suspicion." However, search of students should be done only when absolutely necessary (for safety or "order" reasons), and a…

Reviews court cases related to search of students and extracts guiding principles administrators can use to reconcile the students' legitimate privacy interests with the educational necessities of the school. (JM)

This article explores the evolving case law on student searches, in light of the established exceptions to warrant requirements and various circumstances that might uniquely affect school searches. (Author)