Louisiana received funds under Title VII of the Emergency School Aid Act to conduct a 23 month Special Students Concerns Project, aimed at eliminating the disproportionately high incidence of suspension, expulsions, and other disciplinary action involving minority group students in public schools. As proposed, the first six to eight months of the…

The Magnitude of disciplinary problems prompted the Louisiana State Legislature to authorize the continuance of the Task Force on Suspensions and Expulsions to further study the problems associated with said suspensions and expulsions and to evaluate the efforts of the former Task Force: during the 1972-73 academic year, a total of approximately…

This publication, prepared for distribution at a seminar on current school problems, contains discussions of recent court cases, judicial opinions, and a bibliography. Topics include suspensions and expulsions, haircuts, students' rights, freedom of expression, prayers in schools, decentralization, and teachers' rights to negotiate. (LLR)

Presented by handicapping condition are program standards in Ohio for public special education of exceptional children, 6 to 18 years of age, and for legal dismissal from school attendance. The state board of education is said to be authorized by the state legislature to prescribe and adopt standards, grant permission to local school districts to…

The Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA) requires that each state or outlying area receiving federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) have a law that requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) in the state or outlying area to expel from school for at least one year any student found bringing a firearm to school. Their…

Using data from the San Diego City School District as a case study, this paper describes how discipline policies and practices put black and Latino students at a disadvantage. It offers examples of effective approaches to addressing dysfunctional classrooms. It focuses on how San Diego's schools provide unequal educational opportunity in the…

This legal primer on violence in schools addresses the responsibility of school officials to respond to undisciplined youths whose behavior threatens the welfare and safety of other children in attendance. It is broken down into sections that provide a brief overview of the key rules and guidelines for school officials and teachers in each topic…

State legislatures and school boards are adopting a growing number of zero-tolerance polices toward weapons, guns, and violence. Zero-tolerance polices are rules intended to address specific school-safety issues. They have arisen in part as a response to the threat of the withdrawal of federal funds under the 1994 Gun-Free Schools Act, and…

Though the media depicts U.S. youth as more criminally prone than they actually are and highlights school shootings, schools are still one of the safest places for youth to be. This policy brief adds perspective to punitive school policies (e.g., zero tolerance policies that require suspension or expulsion) in the face of stable or declining rates…

This report provides information on the conduct of students in Delaware public schools during the 1999-2000 school year. The focus of the analysis is on reported incidence of serious student conduct offenses as defined by Delaware Code or as defined by Delaware State Board of Education regulations and reported incidence of student suspensions and…

A study investigated the validity of six predictors of academic success after dismissal and reentry: grade point average (GPA) at dismissal, GPA at another school in the interim, composite college entrance examination score, semesters between dismissal and readmission, credits earned elsewhere after dismissal, and instructional level at dismissal.…

Outlines new provisions in the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that benefit children with behavior or emotional disorders. Provisions that focus on keeping students in school, accurate assessment of student behavior, positive behavioral interventions, and children who bring weapons or drugs to school are discussed. (CR)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was recently reauthorized as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. Several significant changes were made in the most recent reauthorization. These included requirements for "highly qualified" special education teachers; a track that will result in full…

This paper is intended to provide school officials and teachers with the necessary legal background, procedural requirements, and guidance for appropriate implementation of individualized educational programs (IEPs) with violent students with disabilities. Specifically it addresses: (1) the legal background of special education under the…

This report reviews current state policy and practices in the disciplining of students with disabilities, as they are expressed in state documents including statutes, regulations, and other types of written records. Federal law, regulations, and case law are summarized in the report's introduction and background. Findings are presented in terms of…