In the past few years numerous cases have appeared before the courts concerning the dress and grooming of students. In many of these cases, the issue has been related to male students' hair length. Throughout the nation, conflicting trends have emerged from a legal point of view, and the issues remain largely unresolved. This paper discusses the…

As illustrated by two recent decisions, the courts in the past decade have demarcated wide boundaries for school officials considering dress codes, whether in the form of selective prohibitions or required uniforms. Administrators must warn the community, provide legitimate justification and reasonable clarity, and comply with state law. (MLH)

The courts will entertain an action to consider the propriety of the suspension or expulsion of a student based on the student's hairstyle. The promulgator of the regulation, be it the principal or the board of education, bears a heavy burden of justification for the rule. The two recognized factors that might sustain a hairstyle regulation are:…

Describes procedures required of boards of education by the courts in disciplining students. (JF)

It has been 30 years since the U.S. Supreme Court, in the "Tinker" case, upheld three students' right to wear black armbands protesting the Vietnam War to school. Recent cases involving sagging pants and an African headwrap (dress code violations) did not meet allowable "free-speech" requirements. (MLH)

The hidden curriculum in schools is frequently reflected in clothing worn by students. Schools grapple with the implications of dress codes as they relate to the appropriateness of the items students wear and, in this study in particular, to the messages placed upon tee shirts. Legal precedent indicates that schools have the right to eliminate…

School regulations concerning hair have been successfully defended in appellate courts in about half the country. The most recent decision of a federal circuit court upholding a school's rules was decided in 1975. In this instance, the court reversed the position it held only three years earlier. There are some guidelines that should be kept in…

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…

A survey was mailed to all 66 Louisiana public school district superintendents and to 50 state department of education superintendents on school district policy regarding student dress code and student/faculty uniform use. States reported no statute or mandate for student uniforms. Uniform policy was optional and popular in 36 Louisiana districts.…

In a Sixth Circuit Court decision, Judge Harry Welford concluded that the First Amendment did not prohibit an Ohio school district from banning Marilyn Manson T-shirts under the district's constitutional authority to regulate student speech (disruptive behavior) that conflicts with its basic educational mission. (MLH)

This report presents commentaries on the legal aspects of student rights and on some of the disciplinary measures utilized by public schools. It proposes legislation designed to assure that schools, in shaping their disciplinary policies, will conform to the framework of existing constitutional law and recent court cases. A related document is EA…

Discusses student rights in the areas of dress codes, freedom of speech, and due process. (JF)

Describes latest court litigation on student rights. (JF)