Among the many issues that public school leaders and teachers often deal with is the proper role of religious belief and practice within their schools. The law regarding how the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution applies to the public school context can often seem complex and confusing, with some cases holding that a school improperly…

The varying definitions and conceptions of secularism are explored in terms of government interpretation and legal response. It is argued that issues of state neutrality towards religion can be balanced with religious expression within the context of community schooling in the USA. Examining a more balanced approach of effects of government action…

This hearing provides the statements from the following individuals: Chairman Simpson; Hon. Silvestre Reyes; Hon. Ander Crenshaw; and Hon. Lane Evans (prepared statement of). This document also includes statements from over 10 wittinesses and contains an article, bill, chart, and statement submitted for the record relating to this hearing.…

Discusses recent legal, policy, and technological challenges to the GPO printing system, reviews the reform bill designed to address these problems, and tracks its progress through the legislative system. Highlights include the growth of electronic information; the erosion of supervisory authority of the Public Printer; constitutional challenges;…

Asserts that from the perspective of America's public institutions of higher education, Blackstone's greatest legacy is his understanding of sovereign immunity. Explores the similarities between Blackstone's understanding of sovereign immunity and the current jurisprudence of the U.S. Supreme Court. (EV)

The Internet is a valuable educational tool being utilized in many classrooms today. However, Internet and computer policies restrict and limit how the Internet and computer can be used in a school. An Internet and computer policy typically limits students to use the Internet and computer for educational purposes. If a student violates this policy…

Public schools, since their founding in America in 1647, have reflected the demographic characteristics of the communities in which they are located. Because the United States has, until recently, been mostly Protestant Christian, many schooling practices have built upon the values of this faith. Pupils have sung Christmas songs at Christmas…

Last year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) conducted its first-ever comprehensive study of restrictions on speech at America's colleges and universities, "Spotlight on Speech Codes 2006: The State of Free Speech on our Nation's Campuses." In light of the essentiality of free expression to a truly liberal…

River Run High School, located in rural west central Florida, was the site for a case study of student conflict precipitated by the wearing and display of Confederate flags on campus. Following a series of tense student encounters over Confederate and other racist symbols, a conflict resolution team was invited to intervene. Team members created a…

For students of history, the acrimonious and contentious 1876 presidential canvass came to mind during the 2000 election imbroglio. Democrat Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote, but to the dismay of outraged Democrats, an electoral commission of eight Republicans and seven Democrats decided along strict party lines to give twenty disputed…

The Illinois Supreme Court has permitted the General Assembly to create a system of public school funding that is widely disparate and disadvantageous to students in school districts with low-property wealth. In this Article, I argue that the court has not adequately considered the nexus between the Uniformity of Taxation provision and the…

This article will deal with an analysis of how education appears in the future "European Constitution" that will be the reference point for European Union actions on education issues in coming years, even though it has been questioned by the negative results of the "referendums" in France and Holland. Subsequently, there will…

Federal constitutional law currently permits choice programs that include religious schools only if they provide parents with "genuine and independent choice"; as the leading federal case demonstrates, whether this test is satisfied is an interesting and difficult empirical question. State doctrine regarding establishment of religion can be…

In September, Oxford University Press published "Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency," written by Richard Posner, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Judge Posner's book, which explores how people might strike a balance between constitutionally protected liberties and security concerns…

School leaders attest to educational and social benefits from diversity. They argue that local housing patterns historically tend to separate families of different races and may lead to schools that are racially homogeneous if the districts do not counter them with assignment policies that consider race. This article discusses race in education…