The recent case of "Nguyen v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, et al.," considered the question of whether a college or university has the affirmative obligation to protect its students from all harm at all times, including suicide. Han Nguyen was a 25-year old graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) when he…

The focus of this article is liability of higher education institutions for off-campus housing. In the off-campus housing context, the "assumed duty" theory was determinative in a 2006 Delaware Supreme Court case. A student was assaulted by the boyfriend of another student in the parking lot of off-campus housing. The housing was…

American universities and colleges have always been a bastion of liberalism and progressive thought. Historically, the academic community has supported social justice issues, given a voice to the poor, minorities and the disadvantaged, and brought to light subjects that are considered taboo elsewhere. Indeed, many social movements have either…

This resource guide is designed to assist members of the Massachusetts university community in handling sexual harassment complaints. The guide outlines what constitutes sexual harassment, suggests responses to sexual harassment, and lists resources. The scope of the guide includes faculty/student harassment, employer/employee harassment, and peer…

In the two places where children should feel safe and supported (home and school), gay and lesbian youth are routinely reviled. Educators have a clear professional mandate to address sexual-minority students' needs. Stratford (Connecticut) Public Schools are addressing five important issues concerning professional development, support staff and…

Charter schools must answer to public entities (bureaucratic accountability) and to participating parents, students, and teachers (market accountability). This study examines bureaucratic accountability, highlighting regulatory approaches of statewide charter-school authorizers in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Michigan. CSA's favor a…

Shows how children are affected by homelessness, how school personnel can help alleviate major stresses (constant moving, frequent change of schools, overcrowded living conditions, and lack of access to basic resources), and how Massachusetts and other state departments of education are preparing school personnel to serve homeless kids. Educators…

This document provides curriculum materials and a guide for Massachusetts school personnel concerning the issue of sexual harassment in secondary schools. Although the entire document is useful for all school personnel, specific sections are suggested for administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, and students. Section one deals with sexual…

The report by the Task Force on Children Out of School describes practices and procedures of exclusion which prohibit a minimum of 4,000 school age children from attending the Boston public schools. Children who are culturally different, physically different (both handicapped and pregnant), mentally handicapped, and emotionally disturbed are…

This fourth edition of a manual originally published in 1982 provides curriculum materials or sexual harassment in secondary schools. It defines sexual harassment, explains the legal issues involved, describes administrative strategies, and presents student activities and classroom lessons. Specific suggestions are offered for administrators,…

A program is described for the evaluation of the basic skills policy of the State Board of Education in Massachusetts. The 1978 policy of the Board is to take effect in 1980-81 and will require annual assessment of student skills at three grade levels in all schools in five curriculum areas, but leaves the setting of standards to local option.…

In Hatfield, Massachusetts, long-unquestioned social contract (guaranteed tax support for children's free public education) is up for grabs. A battle over condoms underlies more serious generational differences over "frills" (mainstreaming, peer mediation, and affective education) and who should pay. Parents may have to contribute to…

This reference manual and resource guide describes high standards for health policies and day care procedures that reflect current research and recommendations of experts. Chapters 1 and 2, which concern day care's role in health, cover health education in day care and the basics relating to policies, providers, and records. Chapters 3-5 concern…

One of the most important factors in the education of children is the establishment of their physical health, without which all learning and training must have less value for the individual and for society than they would have with it. Implicitly in the act creating the Bureau of Education and explicitly in recent acts of Congress, investigations…