In a recent opinion the Supreme Court of the United States recognized that for many communities "school sports play a prominent role." Whatever purpose they serve, school sports also raise a number of legal issues that a school district must carefully handle in order to operate its athletics program with minimal risk of liability. This handbook is…

This chapter includes all cases, at either the K-12 or higher education level, that deal with student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, athletic associations, and booster organizations. However, no case law is discussed that pertains to physical education instruction. The cases are discussed in the following sections: (1) eligibility; (2)…