Hardly a week passes without yet another highly visible court case involving the rights and freedoms of secondary school students. The subject matter of these lawsuits is as varied as the activities of the students who have gone to court to vindicate their legal interests. The outcome of such cases also runs the gamut; some student plaintiffs (and…

According to an Education Commission of the States "Policy Report", research on the effects of dress code and school uniform policies is inconclusive and mixed. Some researchers find positive effects; others claim no effects or only perceived effects. While no state has legislatively mandated the wearing of school uniforms, 28 states and…

Author reviews court decisions that affect the schools. (Editor/CB)

Two middle-school students unsuccessfully challenged a Phoenix school's mandatory school uniform policy. The attorney representing the district interpreted the appellate court's decision as providing assurance for public schools that such policies are constitutional, provided they are content-neutral, not aimed at suppressing any particular…

In a case involving parents' claims that a Louisiana district's uniform policy violated their children's 14th Amendment right to free speech, Fifth Circuit Judge Robert Parker sided with the school board. The board's legitimate interests in regulating student behavior outweighed students' legitimate interests concerning clothing choices. (MLH)

Do school dress codes written with the specific purpose of limiting individual dress preferences, including dress associated with gangs, infringe on speech freedoms granted by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution? Although the Supreme Court has extended its protection of political speech to nonverbal acts of communication, it has…

Educators and the public are divided over the value of implementing school-uniform policies in the public schools. This digest examines arguments for and against school-uniform policies, identifies legal considerations, and offers guidelines for implementing policies on student dress. Most parents have responded favorably to uniform policies,…

Stressing the diversity which characterizes the high school underground press movement, the pamphlet presents case histories of several papers, an overview of the first ten years of the high school underground press, and technical information necessary for starting a paper. The first wave of high school underground newspapers appeared in major…