Monica Williams, a beloved counselor of an urban middle school, is shocked to learn that she is being terminated for a comment she made on Facebook. This case was developed for use in an educational leadership course for students to evaluate an educator's right to freedom of speech in relation to social media. Instructors can use the case to…

This case illustrates why future school leaders must be prepared to handle complex legal and political issues that commonly arise in school districts today. We discuss a long-standing and unresolved legal battle between a Hasidic Jewish community and the public school district in East Ramapo, New York. In particular, we examine the difficulties…

In today's urban schools, foreign-born children and children of immigrants are the fastest growing sector of the student population and as a result of this changing demographic, our schools are more ethnically, racially and religiously diverse than they have ever been (Suárez-Orozco et al. in "Thriving and spirituality among youth:…

The number of lawsuits pertaining to educationally related issues is on the rise in the US (Mounts, 1999). Garner (2000) reports that teachers consider legal issues the third most important area of teacher preparation. However, few universities offer undergraduate courses in educational law and few programs offer comprehensive training concerning…

Public school leaders often find themselves caught between groups with passionately held--but widely varying--views regarding the appropriate role for religion in public schools. Tensions are heightened by the growth of well-funded special interest groups inclined to litigate anywhere a test case arises. By reviewing the most recent judicial…

Presents activities for teaching high school students about the freedom of religion. Includes student handouts that explain basic constitutional principles and summarize leading U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning religious liberty. Encourages teachers to invite students to speculate on the future relationship of religion and public education. (SG)

First amendment challenges to the use of mandatory student fees for abortion services have not reached federal courts, and the only pertinent state decision upheld the mandatory fee system. However, recent decisions and historical analysis suggest the court must grant relief to students whose right to free worship is violated. (Author/MSE)

The Principal's Legal Handbook contains information and recommendations for practice in four areas. Section 1, "Students and the Law," yields interesting and informative answers on a number of issues related to students and the law: recent issues in schools relative to students' rights; the use of technology; and the latest case law and…

Nonintervention and various forms of intervention are examined prior to a detailed exposition of a proposed contract approach in dealing with the problem of how the state should react when an individual invokes the civil courts against his religious organization. Two policy concerns, entanglement and reasonable expectation of members, are…

In Ontario, Canada, the 19th-century educational imperative of indoctrinating public school students in a common Christianity became intolerable, given the province's increasingly pluralistic population. Most vestiges of religious practice and instruction have been swept from public schools. Religious minorities' preference for a unitary,…

Interpretation of the establishment clause of the Constitution and its application to statutes challenged by the United States Supreme Court has followed two distinct paths--one embracing the principle of separation of church and state, the other stressing the importance of accommodation between them. Both legal trends are discussed. (TE)

It is argued that some church-related universities are both religious and academic communities, thus constituting protected exercises of religion. Attempts to coerce compliance with secular standards of nondiscrimination and academic freedom may violate the institution's rights to free exercise of religion. A Brigham Young University (Utah) policy…

It is proposed that the values and environment of a church-related law school differ from those of secular institutions because of the religious orientation of faculty and students, and fostering such an institution is religious freedom, now threatened by accreditation rules and current First Amendment jurisprudence. (Author/MSE)

Argues that Native American tribes encounter major legal problems in the practice of traditional religions due to differences between Native and Anglo American worldviews. Examines the ideology of civilization underlying values in American jurisprudence, foundations of American Indian law, and relevant constitutional law. Contains over 200…

This chapter reports on legislative activity and court litigation during 1983 on issues relating to school prayer. Eighteen bills and resolutions have been introduced in the 98th Congress on this issue; 7 relate to voluntary prayer, 4 to equal access, and 3 are concurrent resolutions, not legislative in nature, expressing the belief that periods…