Presents activities for teaching high school students about the freedom of religion. Includes student handouts that explain basic constitutional principles and summarize leading U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning religious liberty. Encourages teachers to invite students to speculate on the future relationship of religion and public education. (SG)

Teaching ethical values is often challenged as an infringement on students' religious rights. This article addresses key questions concerning schools' legal responsibilities, courts' treatment of curriculum-related challenges based on alleged First Amendment violations, and courts' handling of teacher proselytizing or "opting out" cases.…

As part of a larger study, researchers collected campus codes prohibiting hate crimes, which were then reviewed to determine whether the codes presented constitutional problems. Based on this review, the authors develop and present a model policy that is content neutral and does not use language that could be viewed as unconstitutionally vague or…

Provides an overview of the First Amendment status of college print media, and then discusses the degree to which student-controlled electronic media outlets warrant comparable expressive rights. (SR)

Examines the legal issues surrounding Internet filtering in public libraries. Discusses First Amendment rights and responsibilities; recent court cases; legal problems with limiting Internet access; librarian intervention; less restrictive means to protect minors from harmful materials; and possible liability issues. (LRW)

Since, in most cases, sequestration is no longer an option for judges to insure an impartial jury, judicial restraints or suppression orders directed at trial participants have become increasingly attractive. The problem is that the press has a desire to disseminate information about the judicial process to the public. Silence orders prohibiting…

This paper examines recent court decisions that indicate the extent of constitutional protection extended to opinionated statements made during broadcast commentaries. A brief overview of both the common law and constitutional privileges protecting the expression of opinion is also included in the paper. Specifically, the paper evaluates the…

Discussions collected in this newsletter include the following speeches all of which were presented at the 1976 convention of the Western States Speech Communication Association: "Where the First Amendment is Silent," a sketch of current speech rights and a prediction for the future; "Freedom of Speech in University Theatre; or,…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current status of freedom of the press with regard to past and present judicial rulings. A section devoted to "The Background of Prior Restraint" examines the historical basis for current legal decisions. In "Threatening Progeny," court decisions unfriendly to the press such as the…

The competing constitutional interests of the student press and the rest of the community at a state university are examined, addressing issues of administrative censorship, mandatory student funding of newspapers, and open access and right of reply claims made against the student press. (MSE)

Describes a Circuit Court of Appeals case concerning a middle school principal who was unfairly fired after making a controversial speech on inadequate school finances. Describes a search and seizure case involving a student's possession of a gun and drugs on campus. Urges school boards to know the law before taking action. (MLH)

Details the implications for libel suits against the press of the law's distinction between public figures and private individuals. (KS)

E-mail has created friction between school districts' proprietary needs and employees' privacy rights. This article examines e-mail law (constitutional, statutory, and common) and issues (employer monitoring, discover problems, admissibility, and attorney-client privilege) and provides policy guidelines. The 1996 Communications Decency Act,…

Although the law pertaining to tenure denial based on scholarship and teaching is well settled, legal issues governing faculty dismissal due to declining college enrollments are unsettled. This paper reviews tenure cases and explores tenure denial based on institutional need, anticipating development of a separate body of law. (72 references) (MLH)

The authors debate whether institutions of higher learning should impose regulations or speech codes to ban sexually harassive speech believed to foster gender-based discrimination. Masters insists that narrowly crafted controls are necessary to make colleges and universities inviting to all. Dagley argues that speech codes are improper because…