Field trips are troublesome for educators, because normal responsibilities may be exacerbated by supervision and transportation requirements. Forms should be very comprehensive as to field-trip description, objectives, provisions, special instructions to students, and liability-release statements. Emergency preparedness and specific supervision…

School districts must properly manage volunteers to protect children from negligent behavior. Districts can reduce the risk of using volunteers by developing volunteer-management policies and procedures; maintaining adequate liability insurance; developing descriptions of volunteer responsibilities; screening interested persons; and providing…

Graduates of the service academies operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force currently make up approximately 18 percent of the officer corps for the nation's armed services. The academies represent the military's most expensive source of new officers. The Department of Defense (DOD) pays the full cost of a student's 4-year education at the…

Legislation and case law addressing discrimination in the workplace are not inimical to ethical supervision; the threat of litigation should never be an excuse for accepting mediocre or marginal teaching. Several significant Supreme Court decisions show that (nondiscriminating) employers retain the right to set and enforce high performance…

Discusses barriers to effective teacher supervision that unwittingly protect and tolerate poor performers. Presents a template for writing legally defensible disciplinary memoranda that document efforts to help teachers improve performance and justify termination, if necessary. Discusses accountability tools, including performance indicators…

Collective bargaining law, the unit clarification process, case law, and teacher contracts are legally defining and thereby controlling school supervisory practice in Pennsylvania. (Author)

There are numerous vital middle-school programs, including cooperative learning, advisory programs, interdisciplinary curricula, and exploratory activities that can invite costly lawsuits if not properly structured and supervised. Educators should follow district policies and procedures, develop classroom rules for all grade levels, give adequate…

Law students, regardless of the degree of supervision, should not be permitted to conduct the defense of persons on trial for felonies because the practice dangerously exceeds the constitutional and practical limits of students' responsibilities. (AVAIL: Albany Law School of Union University, 80 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, $3.50)…

In recent years, legislation and litigation relating to education have increased dramatically. Consequently, there is a growing need for educators to understand legal mandates as they relate to the school setting. There is also a growing need to identify the areas in which schools are "at risk" in relation to students' safety and rights.…

The Community Relations Service (CRS) of the U.S. Department of Justice has been called on by judges in a number of school desegregation cases to assist the court in the development of citizen monitoring commissions. CRS has helped design monitoring mechanisms, provided training to the members of monitoring commissions, and supported these citizen…

Examines the areas in which educational misconduct involving handicapped students is likely to occur. Argues for accountability for such misconduct and discusses why remediation should be by common law tort action. Explains why the Handicapped Children Act procedures are not appropriate in litigation. (MD)

The legal liability of faculty members, school, and institution may arise from their supervisory function with regard to a student caring for a patient who claims injury because of that care. The legal implications raised by these functions are examined and potential liabilities are explained. (Author/MSE)

Briefly describes the issues in "Powell v. Orleans Parish School Board" and discusses what the court's findings suggest regarding the responsibility of schools for supervising and protecting students involved in school-sponsored, off-campus activities. (PGD)

In Oklahoma, a new law (H.B. 1706)--the product of efforts by educators at all levels--promises to provide a framework to strengthen the preparation, induction, and continuing education of teachers. (Author/WD)

This document provides a framework for better understanding of the knowledge and skills essential to a state level position within special education. It was developed with an eye on essential skills and knowledge for carrying out the general supervision/leadership requirements of the state education agency (SEA) specifically as it related to…