Fossey's perspectives on legal issues faced by personnel in school districts are too generalized and fail to account for specific problems faced by individual districts and efforts made to cope with them. Illustrates the discussion with examples from the Miami-Dade County Public School System (Florida). (SLD)

Acknowledges the exemplary hiring practices of the Miami-Dade County (Florida) School District, but reiterates that throughout the United States, many professional educators are hired who lack the skills, compassion, and creativity to be in charge of children's education. (Author/SLD)

Discusses the liability risks inherent in using vehicles that do not meet federal school bus standards. The federal and state responses to such practices are examined. (GR)

Summarizes findings of a survey questionnaire mailed to all Arizona school districts to determine the circumstances, conditions, and costs of using attorneys. Legal advice is obtained from various sources. However, a few firms are most often used, few procedures exist for hiring or evaluating school attorneys, and access is typically through the…

Despite increasing education-related litigation activity (and costs) since 1960, the model for preventing such lawsuits has remained unchanged since then. Although administrative knowledge and competent legal counsel are critical to any district's effective operation, a middle- or high-school teacher's lack of knowledge, expertise, and experience…

Considers the availability of pornography, particularly child pornography, on the Internet and child access to it. Defines pornographic material and child pornography, discusses its commercial and noncommercial uses and the responsibility for child access, and presents solutions: content tagging; CyberAngels, a volunteer group created by the…

Examines critical legal considerations that are concomitant with the adoption of merit pay plans in education and explores some of the practical concerns that continue to thwart the success of merit pay plans. Addressing these legal considerations is a significant step toward the continuing success of merit pay in educational settings. (SLD)

A discussion of informed consent by human subjects in experimentation presents background on the consent issue, including federal requirements; lists factors that may affect a subject's ability to understand the consent document; and offers suggestions for preparing consent forms to ensure the subject's better comprehension. (Author/MSE)

Analyzes implications of a $2-million judgment awarded to a female football player by a federal jury who found that Duke University (North Carolina) engaged in illegal discrimination by keeping her off its football team. Considers the tradition of football as a decidedly male activity, Title IX requirements, and the large degree of variance in…

Describes several legal issues involving school board member use of electronic mail, especially violation of state open-meeting laws. Offers several tips to avoid legal pitfalls. Briefly describes Freedom on Information Act issues related to electronic communication. Provides sample policies on e-mail use. (PKP)

Reviews 2000's tort law decisions concerning higher education, dividing the cases into five sections: instruction, advising and supervision of students, dangerous students and third parties, dangerous premises, employment, and medical center cases. (EV)

Examines argument from the televised impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton concerning the similarity of the Clinton case to the Linda Battalino case and asks if the argument does or does not represents an "ad hominem" argument. Provides an introduction to the viewpoint of informal logic and a summary of the various forms of…

Discussion of highly publicized regulatory problems and legal settlements involving colleges and universities leads to a proposed five-step process for improving an institutional compliance structure. Steps include selecting the compliance officer, determining appropriate reporting relationships, setting up the committee/council structure,…

Patient records (N=667) were reviewed from an eighteen-month period of a private hospital adult addictive disease unit. Thirty-eight percent of admissions were from rural areas; males had a longer duration of use; African-American patients were overrepresented; a larger percentage of males had legal problems; and those from rural areas were more…

Examines how Vietnamese refugees use the American legal system to address grievances arising during resettlement and how resettlement affects the pace of their legal adaptation. Data from state and federal civil cases involving Vietnamese litigants indicate that several aspects of Vietnamese litigation match their resettlement process, such as…