Schools across the United States use abeyance agreements as an alternative to suspension or expulsion, yet little is known about them. These agreements allow students to avoid or reduce suspensions or expulsions, if they meet the terms of the agreement and waive certain due process rights. David Perrodin argues that these agreements enable school…

In court cases involving the discipline of handicapped students, the question of whether or not the disruptive behavior is a manifestation of the handicap inevitably arises. This article discusses rulings in such cases that should guide educators' efforts to discipline students enrolled in special education programs. (Author/WD)

Notes that expulsion and suspension are incompatible with the goals of P.L. 94-142 and, therefore, are not available to schools as a discipline measure for special students. Outlines options the schools can create to deal with disruptive handicapped students. (IRT)

A statement of policy which emphasizes due process but focuses discussion on the expulsion itself. (Author)

Provides advice from a legal standpoint on discipline procedures for special education students. (WD)

Analyzes Arkansas case wherein the Eighth Circuit held 6-5 that letter written by seventh-grade student threatening violence against his former girl friend was not protected by the First Amendment even though a friend took the letter from student's home without his knowledge and gave it to the girl. Upheld board's decision to expel student.…

The Supreme Court in December 1985 voted 9-0 reversing a lower court decision in the case of "Ewing vs. Board of Regents." Ewing, a medical student, appealed the medical school's decision to dismiss him. The Supreme Court found that "the decision was made conscientiously and with careful deliberation." This decision maintains…

Discusses a complicated appellate-court case upholding a Milwaukee high-school junior's expulsion for advocating computer hacking in a student newspaper. The decision is noteworthy for signaling a growing technology-related litigation trend, conflating the advocacy/incitement issue, and showing courts' decreasing tolerance for perceived threats to…

The procedural due process principles of Goss v. Lopez do not apply in cases of "academic" dismissal rather than disciplinary dismissal. The difficulty in making this distinction, particularly at the elementary and secondary levels, undoubtedly will be the cause of much future litigation. (Author/IRT)

Analyzes complex Minnesota case wherein the state intermediate, appellate court upheld (2-1) juvenile court's order that a high school student expelled for making a bomb threat pay the district's tutoring costs and attorney's fees. (PKP)

Describes Illinois case involving the expulsion of five students for a gang-related brawl at a high school football game in Decatur. Students brought suit against the school district claiming violation of their 14th Amendment right to procedural due process. Both the federal district court and court of appeals rejected the students' claim.…

A sample student code developed by the Phi Delta Kappan Commission of Administrative Behaviors Supportive of Human Rights. (DW)

After four years of implementation, the National Center for Education Statistics found that schools employing zero-tolerance policies are still less safe than those without such policies. Indiscriminate use of force is the hallmark of authoritarianism. Programmatic prevention, screening and early identification, and effective discipline policies…

A youngster failing to thrive in one environment needs an alternative learning situation. Research shows that small, personalized schools offering authentic, engaging curricula are essential for reaching unsuccessful learners. The test-score craze can be contained by publicizing other numbers regarding consequences: absence rates, dropouts,…