The Departments of Education and Justice are responsible for enforcing certain federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in K-12 schools based on characteristics such as race, sex, and disability, including regarding police interactions with students. The House committee report for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,…

A model policy and rules for maintaining a cooperative effort between school administrators and law enforcement officials are presented in this pamphlet. The policy and rules were developed by the Iowa State Department of Public Instruction. The model policy stresses cooperation between administrators and law enforcement officers and respect for…

This Oversight Hearing on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act was held before the Subcommittee on Equal Opportunities of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-Fourth Congress, Second Session. The Hearing, held in Washington, D. C., on June 29, 1976, speaks to the concerns of those working with…

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) pertains broadly to education records, though an institution can exempt its law enforcement records from FERPA coverage. The primary purpose of this report was to examine FERPA's effect on the flow of information between institutions of higher education and law enforcement agencies. Study…

In 1985 the Illinois Legislature revised its Juvenile Court Act and sections of the criminal code to get tough on juvenile crime and school-related crime. The Illinois Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the act. Greater legislative and judicial support is a national trend to control school violence. (MLF)

Although the Supreme Court has answered the important questions concerning the constitutional requirements for searches of students by school officials in the public schools, many issues remain unresolved. School officials are advised to proceed with caution, particularly with regard to strip searches, mass searches, and dogs to sniff students…

On June 29, 1993, a Senate Task Force on School Violence hearing was held at the California State capitol. The hearing examined the issues of violence on school campuses. Victims of campus crime, relatives of murdered students, administrators, law enforcers involved in campus safety, and students who themselves committed crimes in school spoke at…

This handbook is intended to provide students and parents with a narrative summary of their rights and responsibilities in California public schools. Implications of laws and state regulations, as well as pertinent court decisions, are presented in such areas as student behavior (including discipline, corporal punishment, and dress codes),…

This paper discusses the proper way to conduct official government investigations on college campuses within the framework of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. The article emphasizes that this amendment lays the groundwork for the limitations on the exercise of…

The author traces the history of the applicability to students of the Fourth Amendment, which defines search and seizure of person or property to be illegal without a valid search warrant supported by probable cause. Various court decisions have affirmed students' constitutional rights, but Louisiana is the only state that has held, in a decision,…

Chapter 5 in a book on school law reviews the law governing search and seizure in the public school setting. Three types of searches illustrate problems encountered by school personnel: the search of a student's person, including the "strip search"; the search of a vehicle; and the search of a school newspaper room. Recent case law…

The Supreme Court's "T.L.O." decision and its application by the lower courts provide school administrators with considerable guidance in dealing with search and seizure situations. A nationwide survey of 238 high school principals indicates the status of search and seizure practices in public secondary schools. (MLF)

This chapter discusses legal ramifications of administrative decisions in schools involving bombs and bomb threats, false fire alarms, searches and seizure, and police investigations in the schools. In the case of bomb threats, the principal and not the police must take the legal responsibility for making the decision of whether or not to evacuate…

This report, one of two related volumes, is the work of an Illinois task force on school violence and vandalism. It contains detailed recommendations to local districts plus a list and a brief description of resources that they can use to plan programs for reducing school and community violence and vandalism. Specific recommendations discussed…

Provides an edited version of the Supreme Court opinions in "TLO v New Jersey." Includes an article delineating the new rules on student searches that have resulted from the court decision. A third article discusses questionable areas the Court decision left unclear. (MD)