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…

This study examined federal and state court decisions related to student Fourth Amendment rights following the "New Jersey v. T.L.O." ruling in 1985. There has been minimal research in judicial treatment of students' Fourth Amendment rights across regions of the country and less to what extent regional rulings implicitly or explicitly…

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…

Sets out the legal standard to which school officials must adhere in conducting a search of students or their belongings. Offers some suggestions for school newspaper editors regarding their role in seeing that these guidelines are followed. (SR)

As a means of providing additional search warrant protection for the news media and others engaged in public communications, the United States Congress adopted the "Privacy Protection Act of 1980." Legal and documentary research conducted over a period of two years has revealed a potential defect of the statute relating to the court…

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right of people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. The privacy of individuals, including students, is therefore protected, but only after considering the interests of society. This simulated case study explores what happens when there is an alleged conflict…

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…

Examines Fourth Amendment legal issues involved in drug testing of public employees. Discusses several recent court cases involving probable cause and reasonable suspicion to determine appropriate standards for individual situations. Outlines implications for public employers. Blanket drug testing is not permissable, though job applicants have…

Explores issues related to legal considerations of the widespread use of the Internet worldwide. Topics considered include: e-mail; data theft and piracy; search and seizure; electronic banking; offensive behavior; liability; copyright infringement; laws regulating the Internet; and the Telecommunications Act. (PEN)

Describes a Circuit Court of Appeals case concerning a middle school principal who was unfairly fired after making a controversial speech on inadequate school finances. Describes a search and seizure case involving a student's possession of a gun and drugs on campus. Urges school boards to know the law before taking action. (MLH)

In a Georgia case involving a strip-searched class of fifth- graders to locate some missing money ($26), a Federal Court judge concluded the searches were unreasonable. Although students won the constitutionality battle, they lost the war over liability and injunctive relief in a subsequent decision. (MLH)

Discusses the fourth amendment (providing protection against "unreasonable" searches and seizures) and its application in educational administration. (PG)

Regarding school searches, courts have provided guidelines balancing individual students' rights against the larger school community's rights. Administrators are bound by the Fourth Amendment, which stresses reasonable grounds of suspicion and related circumstances. Strip searches, metal detectors, hidden cameras, and locker searches may meet…

One of the most controversial federal acts providing for random administrative searches is the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA). The author reviews the search and seizure law and concludes that abandonment of Fourth Amendment rights should not be predicated on the mere convenience of even a justifiable regulatory scheme. (JT)

It appears that university officials will be forced to recognize a student's right to privacy in a dormitory room. (PG)