This book, an update of the 1988 edition, gives readers a basic grasp of the general legal principles controlling the role of religion in public education with the goal of applying those principles to typical church/state issues. Chapter 1 offers the background of general legal principles needed to understand specific church/state issues. Chapter…

Outlines a lesson for high school students covering religious controversies in New York City schools in the 1840s. Issues pertain to Irish-Catholic immigrants' objections to public school religious instruction and attempts to obtain public support for parochial schools. Includes handouts concerning religious freedom, Bishop John Hughes' opinion,…

Before one can have the freedom to express ideas in open debate, however, one must have freedom of conscience: the right to arrive at one's private beliefs, without being coerced into an artificial unity by those who wield power over him/her. After all, the freedom to speak is a dead letter if one lacks the freedom to think, to believe, or to…

Summarizes the U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have had the greatest impact on public elementary and secondary education within the last 50 years, beginning with "Brown v. Board of Education" in 1954. Includes decisions involving equality of education, freedom of expression, student discipline and safety, and religion in schools.…

Placing the debate in the United States over amending the Constitution to permit state-sanctioned school prayer in global perspective, this report analyzes the results of a survey of the school prayer policies of 72 countries. The report concludes that the vast majority of the major countries of the world, including Western Europe, Central…

Presents court briefs for three separate constitutional issues: the individual right to die as tested in the "Cruzan v. Missouri Department of Health" case; constitutional rights and drunk driving; and student religious clubs' right to meet at public schools in accordance with the Equal Access Act of 1984. Analyzes court opinions and…

Articles written primarily by practicing school attorneys who represent public school clients are compiled in this publication. Information about how the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First and the Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution affect curriculum, student programs and activities, teacher employment, and school…

This curriculum guide presents a context for preservice education and/or professional development in education law for teachers. Section 1, "Teacher Liability," discusses "Duty to Supervise,""Providing Reasonable Care,""Duty,""Preventing Student-to-Student Sexual Harassment,""Reporting Child…