The education and legal literatures disclose significant disincentives for compliance with mandatory child abuse reporting laws. Although evidence indicates that school personnel understand their legal obligations and recognize signals of child abuse, they consistently underreport abuse occurring in home settings and are seldom held accountable.…

Some children have chronic illnesses that require diet modifications as part of their medical treatment. Advises school districts to hire a registered dietitian or look for resources at a local hospital or public health office. In addition, schools should work with parents, improve staff training, and conduct spot checks of school cafeterias. (MLF)

The fundamental purpose of wellness is to maximize human potential. Describes the dimensions of wellness and identifies some habits that can foster growth within each dimension. Gives examples of societal norms that detract from wellness and those that enhance wellness. Urges schools to integrate the wellness lifestyle throughout all curriculum…

Traditionally, gifted programs have focused only on students deemed academically gifted, excluding those with vocational/technical, artistic, or personal/social talents. Article suggests it is immoral to identify 5% of the student population as "gifted" and the rest as "ungifted." Since all students have relative talent…

Differentiates between the legal functions that college- and university-sponsored research officers are required to perform and the quasi-legal functions in research administration. Introduces and discusses legal concepts integral to research administration, and offers practical pointers in carrying out both legal and quasi-legal functions.…

Parents whose learning-disabled son committed suicide after being suspended (without notice) sued the school district for violating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and their 14th Amendment due-process rights. They won summary judgment on the IDEA claim, but lost the school liability claim. The case will be retried. (MLH)

Administrators can prepare for crisis situations by conducting safety assessments at all schools and district facilities, involving community resources, updating district and school discipline and crisis-communication plans, establishing a crisis-intervention team, providing staff training, establishing "suspicious behavior" reporting procedures,…

Every day, 160,000 children stay home from school because they are afraid of being bullied. Bullying is an unacknowledged crime of violence; adults are unaware of the problem's prevalence. The best anti-bullying programs are comprehensive and involve everyone in the school and community. A sidebar lists resources. (MLH)

Colleges and universities are generally subject to new penalty excise taxes under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code on charitable and educational organizations. The law and proposed regulations are explained, with specific attention to how the rules apply to colleges and universities and how these institutions can best protect themselves…

In two surveys, a substantial majority of school board members supported development of school-linked services to meet the needs of children and families. When given an opportunity to comment individually, some expressed ambivalence about fully supporting such services. Respondents felt substance-abuse services, health services, and parenting…

High-school hazing--intimidation, humiliation, or punishment of younger recruits by veteran athletes and others--is becoming increasingly violent. Schools should react immediately and aggressively to reported incidents, develop a specific policy, educate their coaches, provide adult locker-room supervision, survey their alumni, and be observant.…

Investigated the usefulness of home-school reports for different communities of parents. Data from parent interviews and a survey of reporting practices in English secondary schools indicated that many schools were doing more than was legally required, though there were many difficulties. Parents felt that reports were overgeneralized and…

Institutional research parallels preventive law in purpose and practice. Both help minimize problems and identify strengths in reaching institutional goals, identify and evaluate opportunities to accomplish goals, identify problems and solutions, find alternatives needed to minimize problems, and provide insights into future hazards and…

The traditional place of college authority has shifted and with it the place of student development theories in dealing with student conduct. Suggests that rather than stepping away, administrators of student policies need to address the life and learning experiences that lead to ethical and moral outcomes. (Author/MKA)

This article reviews "Getting Comfortable with Special Education Law: A Framework for Working with Children with Disabilities" by Dixie Snow Huefner, a book that explains the history and foundation of important disability-related laws and litigation and their most recent modifications for meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities in…