Canterbury, Connecticut, and Little Rock, Arkansas, are links in a chain of events representing the struggle for equal educational opportunity for African Americans. Focusing on these two communities, this lesson plan highlights two important historic places and the role each played in testing the prevailing assumptions of the time regarding…

The impact of a college administrator's decision that imposes conditions on enrollment of an emotionally or mentally impaired student is examined in the context of constitutional and federal law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The school's responsibility in such cases is discussed including providing the student with…

This paper reviews various court decisions, especially West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, regarding the right of public school students to refuse to participate in mandatory patriotic school exercises and discusses the attitudes of teachers regarding mandatory participation. In Barnette, the Supremee Court, by a six-to-three…

This book was designed to serve as a legal resource for secondary and elementary school teachers and prospective teachers. Specifically, the book helps teachers become aware of their legal rights and responsibilities in order to avoid violating others' constitutional and statutorial rights in the classroom, and to assert their personal and…

The Capital Area School Development Association, New York, sponsored a school law conference to fulfill a need in the region for school board members and administrators who desire to maintain and improve their knowledge in the area of school law. This document contains the text or outline of the following four presentations: (1) "Preserving…

Judges have interpreted the First Amendment as forbidding the establishment of religion by the state and guaranteeing free exercise of individual religious liberty. The two clauses require public school officials to adopt a position of neutrality with regard to religion in the school setting. Educators must walk a fine line, accommodating…

Presents a student- and community-produced assembly program in which several Supreme Court cases are reenacted. Focuses on student rights concerning search and seizure, freedom of speech, and freedom of of the press. Provides a 40- to 50-minute script with roles for narrators, administrators, police officers, reporters, lawyers, and students. (CH)

Educator violence against students (verbal and physical assaults and the undermining of students' constitutional rights) erodes rather than enhances school safety. Unnecessarily harsh disciplinary practices create a violence-prone climate mirroring U.S. society--the most retributive of Western nations. Democratic classroom practices can help…

A survey of court litigation traces the development of case law regarding the substantive rights of elementary and high school students in relation to school board rules and regulations. The survey reveals the gradual "judicialization" (conversion of conflicts into court cases) of educational governance and the delimiting of the school…

Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, passed by the government in 1982, has been compared in its guarantees of equal rights to the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. These equality provisions were deferred for a 3-year period so that federal, provincial, and…

This paper argues that courts have tended to identify and enforce individual rights at the expense, in many instances, of the ability of school boards and legislatures to carry out what they perceive to be the will of the majority of voters in their jurisdictions. The trend emphasizing individual rights began in 1954 with the Supreme Court…

In this handbook, the relationship of education to the United States Constitution is described for the benefit of students and their parents. Legislation, funding, and the decision-making process are examined as they relate to the public school system. Legal rights of students and parents with regard to many controversial issues, including…

This document provides comprehensive analysis of new key developments in the law regarding the proper relationship between religion and public schools. There are 12 chapters: (1) "The First Amendment and Public Schools: Overview of the Religion Clauses" (John Walsh, Dorine Lawrence-Hughes, and Usi N. Botros); (2) "Prayer on Campus:…

A case is cited in which the Supreme Court concluded that due process does not require the imposition of procedural safeguards in an academic dismissal from medical school. Examined are how this holding reflects judicial nonintervention, the narrowing of the concept of liberty, and the effect on the academic community. (AF)

This study assessed whether a classroom foundation based upon constitutional rights and responsibilities would help elementary and secondary school students with emotional disturbances who are being mainstreamed. The framework of Judicious Discipline, which balances individual rights against social responsibility, was applied in public school…