Discusses judicial review, by central government courts, of the action of local education authorities under government laws pertaining to elementary and secondary education in England and Wales. Observations about comparable experience in the United States are included. (MLF)

Since public schools serve children of diverse religious backgrounds, an upstate New York district tried to construct a policy where all students felt comfortable. Proponents had an uphill struggle, since many constituents found nonreligious Christmas assemblies and displays acceptable. This article highlights Williamsville's Free Exercise and…

Addresses allegations that public schools are unconstitutionally promoting secular humanism. Presents perspectives defining secular humanism and explores whether secular humanism is considered a religion under the establishment clause. Deals with charges by conservative parent groups. (164 references) (MLF)

Discusses the particular need of high schools to develop Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) policies. Discusses the prevalence and risk of HIV in the adolescent population and the legal implications of policies. Describes and evaluates various policies of Illinois public high schools. Concludes with a…

Numerous students who are part of a racial minority attend schools whose mascots blatantly reinforce racism. Summarizes three federal cases that consider the appropriateness of using Confederate symbols to represent high schools; explores what these symbols mean; and examines the disruptive effects offensive mascots have on education. (34…

Litigation by nontenured teachers in contract nonrenewal disputes usually involves claims of violation of speech, liberty, contractual, or privacy rights. School boards should be certain that the cause for nonrenewal of a probationary teacher's contract is not in violation of a protected right. (MLF)

There are three statutes that may regulate a school's obligation to the asthmatic child. Analyzes school policies in interaction with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reviews school policies from the most restricted no-medication policies to schools…

Student promotion or retention is determined by various criteria: grades, student performance, competency tests, attendance records, and conduct. Representative court decisions bearing on each of the criteria are discussed, and guidelines for the development of promotion and retention policy are outlined. (MD)

A school board's dismissal of a teacher who was an unwed mother resulted in the jury granting a large award. The judge grounded the legal justification for the jury's decision in the teacher's constitutionally protected decision to bear a child, irrespective of marriage. Criticizes court's constitutional intrepretation. (MLF)

Court decisions on the autonomy of school sports regulators are examined in the context of "transfer rules." Transfer rules, which limit student participation in athletics after transferring from one school to another, were selected because of the large body of administrative material and case law that they have generated. (Author/MLF)

Discusses economic and legal issues related to declining public school enrollments and pressures for "reduction in force" (RIF) of teachers. Reviews developments involving RIF cases in New Jersey and Yonkers, New York. Recommends school boards not agree to contracts that limit their ability to lay off personnel for economic reasons. (JG)

Educators today see the vast network of online information resources known as the Internet as the key to a lifetime of educational learning and development. Discusses pornography, obscenity, defamation, and intellectual property issues, especially the uploading and downloading of information. Concludes with the Shelby County (Kentucky) Schools…

Traces legal balance in "Tinker" between Constitutional rights of students and caveat that these rights were secure only as exercise did not "interfere" with disciplinary processes of school. Cites changing political landscape; free exercise and establishment of religion; and search and seizure. Concludes that students appear…

Discusses how using "Pickering v. Board of Education" or "Hazelwood School District v Kuhlmeier" as precedents in cases involving classroom speech by teachers has fostered court inconsistency. Proposes a judicial standard that emphasizes adequate notice to teachers when certain speech is proscribed and scrutinizes school-board…