The traditional approach of the courts was to accept as "reasonable cause" for teacher dismissal any conduct that set a bad example for students. This chapter examines a cross-section of cases illustrating recent court decisions in this area and attempts to identify any consistent patterns of adjudication and their implications for school…

Summaries and discussions of court decisions from 1979 to the present in this monograph, the fourth in a series, are designed to keep school administrators, board members, and others informed of current judicial decisions pertaining to elementary and secondary education. Because constitutional questions, especially those focusing on the First and…