Discusses the Supreme Court's findings affecting searches by schools in "New Jersey vs. T.L.O.," reviews earlier school search cases, and explores the factors and circumstances the courts have considered in applying the "reasonableness" standard for assessing when a school's need for maintaining order outweighs a student's…

Current legal ramifications of the right of privacy in students' school records are examined. It is suggested that resolution of the school record problem must be made with the realization that whatever is imprinted on a youth will affect his future and that of society. (LBH)

An edited version of federal district court Judge William O. Bertelsman's opinion in "Bahr vs. Jenkins" reveals his thinking on the courts' self-restraint in cases affecting school administrators' authority when disciplining students. The opinion also discusses, in an informal style, the rights and responsibilities of parties in such…

Newly hired teachers regularly have questions about whether their lifestyles and actions outside of school could have repercussions on their career. Because they are expected to be role models for their students and thus held to a higher level of discretion than the general citizenry, educators have had restrictions placed on their living…

In "Williams by Williams v. Ellington" the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the strip search of a female student for drugs. Explains the standards for searching students in schools as set forth by the Supreme Court in the "New Jersey v. T.L.O." decision. Considers the application of legal standards in "Williams"…

The focus of this chapter is on the substantive constitutional protections of the public school employment relationship guaranteed by the First Amendment, particularly freedom of speech, and by the Fourteenth Amendment's right to privacy. Included are burden-of-proof standards required for establishing a prima facie case of denial of these…

A nationwide controversy over the right of privacy has arisen as a result of companies probing into their workers' habits and health through such means as mandatory drug tests, electronic databases, and lie detector tests. The legal claims arising from these civil suits against employers for invasion of privacy have established precedents that are…

Decisions made by federal and state courts during 1983 concerning the liability of schools, school districts, school boards, or school employees in tort cases are reported in this chapter. Torts are civil causes of action based on noncontractual legal responsibilities that individuals have to avoid harming or injuring another's person, property,…

During the past year, in cases involving the authority of school boards to make curricular decisions and provide for services, the courts have balanced school board authority against constitutional and statutory provisions related to privacy, free exercise of religion, and public records laws. Section 1, "School Boards and Board Members," outlines…

The Fourth Amendment protects an individual's justified expectations of privacy against unreasonable government intrusions; however, reasonable intrusions are allowed when legitimate governmental interests are served. This volume is intended to provide guidelines for school administrators on how to conduct searches and seizures in a manner…

Search and seizure in the public schools has long been a problem for both school authorities and law-enforcement officers. Students have also been known to have been deprived of their constitutional rights. Much of the problem stems from a lack of clarity in the application of the Fourth Amendment to the school setting. This monograph was written…

Articles written primarily by practicing school attorneys who represent public school clients are compiled in this publication. Information about how the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First and the Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution affect curriculum, student programs and activities, teacher employment, and school…