Given the disproportionate rates of youth with disabilities who experience exclusionary discipline in schools, it is important to consider the involvement of law enforcement officers in the discipline of these students and the students' right to an equitable education. One recent case of concern was Wilson v. City of Southlake, which clarified…

In 1974, the United States Congress asked a question prompting a national conversation about ethics: which ethical principles should govern research involving human participants? To embark on an answer, Congress passed the National Research Act, and charged this task to the newly established National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects…

A child's access to equal educational opportunities is considered a basic human right, which extends even to children with disabilities. However, the realisation of international agreements protecting this right lies in individual countries' interpretation and implementation of such rights. This study examined how the right to education for…

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions "Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College" (2023) and "Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina et al." (2023), hereafter collectively referred to as "SFFA v. Harvard," have garnered attention, especially among…

One prominent change in the amendment to the Special Education Law in the State of Israel (2018) concerns the dissolution of placement committees and their transformation into characterization and eligibility committees. These characterization and eligibility committees determine children's eligibility for special education, whereas parents decide…

This dissertation traces the way hair is framed in judicial texts about dress code policy in the U.S. between 1969 and 2023. Using 46 court cases from district, appellate, state supreme, and federal supreme courts, the study first considers how dress code is brought to courts over these 54 years, and the kinds of legal claims made in these cases.…

Voting instruction typically provided to students is focused on educating for informed voting, but we believe it is essential that schools educate for informed and equitable voting. Indeed, in a well-functioning democratic society, participants need to be prepared to engage in critical, but civil, discourse with and about people who look and think…

Aspects of academic life and work that some may consider "normal," such as extensive meetings, brightly lit spaces, constant reading, and demands for continuous productivity, can be additionally debilitating for people with non-apparent disabilities like traumatic brain injury (TBI). These concerns affect the 28.3 percent of the academic…

Racism against Black people, otherwise known as antiblack racism or antiblackness, exists in Australian classrooms and in the Australian curriculum. Contrary to the belief that antiblack racism exists offshore in distant lands away from celebrated multicultural Australia, this article demonstrates how antiblackness lives within the nation. Despite…

This instrumental case study contained interviews with 35 school board members and educators in the state of Iowa to gain an understanding of Senate File 496, Iowa's "Don't Say Gay" legislation influenced school climate. Martinsone et al.'s sustainable promoting of positive school climate guided interviews and data analysis. The key…

The U.S. Supreme Court has heard several cases regarding special education. These cases have resulted in decisions that have addressed issues involving special education programming and procedural issues. On March 21, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling in "Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools." This decision, which was the…

In its 2023 decision in "Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard," the Supreme Court effectively ended its approval of affirmative action in higher education admissions, holding that practices at Harvard and the University of North Carolina (UNC) were unlawful. The Court concluded that UNC's practices violated the guarantee of equal…

Despite the long-term negative outcomes associated with restraining and secluding students, these practices are frequently used in schools, with disproportionate use on students with disabilities. Based on recent guidance from the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, misusing these practices violates student rights under the Americans…

Physical educators, including adapted physical educators, are often called upon to advocate for their students with disabilities, their physical education programs, or themselves to affect change in practice or a student's Individualized Education Program. These advocacy efforts are most effective when physical educators are knowledgeable about…

In a world where decisions are increasingly scrutinized to ensure fairness across legally protected groups, it is critical to apply such scrutiny in a manner that is consistent with the law. This dissertation attempts to reconcile the legal definition and empirical measurement of disparate impact, one of two forms of discrimination recognized by…