The courts generally uphold the school's action in disciplining a student for conduct that takes place out of school if the punishment is denial of extracurricular privileges. If the school withdraws academic privileges, the courts require a stronger showing of evidence. (MLF)

Reviews several factors affecting whether the dismissal of a teacher for immoral conduct will withstand court scrutiny. These factors center on the conduct's impact on the teacher's ability to teach effectively and include the conduct's context, the teacher's history and motives, and the effects of disciplinary responses to the conduct. (PGD)

Discusses attorneys' responses to inquiries from educational administrators or school board members about matters that do not exclusively involve questions of law, and recommends that attorneys clearly differentiate between the legal options and the administrative choices involved in each matter brought to their attention. (JG)

Updates a July 1977 article on federal and state laws affecting the education of handicapped children, focusing specifically on the 1977 amendments to North Carolina's special education laws. (JG)

Discusses the Supreme Court's findings affecting searches by schools in "New Jersey vs. T.L.O.," reviews earlier school search cases, and explores the factors and circumstances the courts have considered in applying the "reasonableness" standard for assessing when a school's need for maintaining order outweighs a student's…

Describes a North Carolina lawsuit that should result in a multitude of new treatment programs for disturbed, aggressive youth. Discusses the state's obligation under the settlement and its progress in establishing needed programs. (Author/MLF)

Challenges to the admissions processes of colleges and universities have been successfully lodged on both contract and due process (14th Amendment) grounds. Reviews and categorizes these cases and suggests steps institutions can take to avoid litigation. (MLF)

Reviews state court decisions on the fairness and legality of charging public school students fees for a variety of school-related materials and activities. (JG)

Reviews recent court cases and federal policy decisions that may affect the degree to which newly consolidated school districts will be obliged to achieve racial balance. Explores some directions that the courts and the federal administration may take in the future regarding these issues. (PGD)

Discusses various methods by which school boards and their attorneys might obtain revenue from the fines and forteitures imposed by the criminal justice system. Concentrates on recent developments in North Carolina but is relevant to other states that have statutes granting this money to public schools. (Author/MLF)

Student-on-student violence raises important issues about how students can use the courts to redress the wrongs they suffer. Some victims file a claim in Federal court under Section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code. Examines three theories of liability under Section 1983 as they relate to violence among students in public schools. (MLF)

Discusses the 1992 North Carolina Supreme Court case News and Observer Publishing Co. v. Poole and its implications for public school and community college records. (19 references) (MLF)

In "New Jersey v. T.L.O.," the Supreme Court determined that public school searches must meet a two-pronged reasonableness standard. Search must be "justified at its inception" and be "reasonably related in scope to the circumstances." Examines factors that courts have found important in applying the T.L.O. standard.…

Dismissal of a pregnant unwed teacher is legal only if there is a nondiscriminatory reason for dismissing her other than her pregnancy or if there is a legitimate business necessity for dismissing her that is connected to her job performance. (MLF)