Information is provided about the legal developments affecting the educational rights of homeless students that were made by the McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-645). Presented in three parts, Part 1 gives an overview of some of the problems that keep homeless children from attending school or hindering their…

Teacher malpractice, defined as instructional incompetency, or failure to exercise reasonable guidance, counseling, and instructional supervision, is a critical problem. This article reviews recent court decisions favoring school districts. Principals, as instructional leaders, are cautioned about incompetent teachers and inappropriate testing,…

This document is a discussion of civil and canon law as they apply to directors of religious education and youth ministers working in the Catholic Church. Courts no longer exercise judicial restraint with regard to matters of religion as they did before 1960; nor does the doctrine of charitable immunity still protect churches and other charitable…

Discusses principles of law library management and presents three problem solving exercises for law librarianship training. American Bar Association standards for law school libraries are presented, with interpretations, and appendices provide a job description for an assistant law librarian and bylaws of the American Law Schools concerning…

As a service to the community to protect the legal rights of students, this manual is designed to provide the legal information New York state parents and professionals need in order to become more effective educational advocates. It is not intended as a definitive legal resource, but rather as a guide for structuring a legally sound argument to…

A growing emphasis on teacher accountability, coupled with declining enrollments and reduced revenues, has increased the importance of teacher evaluations as a basis for staffing decisions, even though there is no clear definition of teacher effectiveness. Accordingly, legal standards are provided for the procedural and substantive issues of due…

Part of a series of classroom aids designed for real estate instructors, this instructional packet was developed to help real estate students understand the rules, regulations, and laws governing home foreclosures under deeds of trust in Texas. Information on home foreclosures is presented, covering: (1) the three elements of a proper foreclosure;…

Teacher evaluation procedures, if ineptly accomplished, are potentially vulnerable to litigation (which most school districts can ill afford), because there is no consensus as to what constitutes effective teaching; hence the validity of rating systems and/or reliability of observations is open to challenge. Accordingly, the evaluation policies…

Selected legal problem areas for sectarian and nonsectarian private schools that have generated substantial litigation and frequent questions from nonpublic school administrators and faculty are discussed. Major topic headings include tort liability, constraints on student and faculty discipline, governing board liability, governmental regulation…

As more women and people of color hold academic jobs, the incidence of illegal employment discrimination in reappointment, tenure, and promotion decisions also increases. This book addresses how individual faculty members can defend themselves against unfair practices and how universities and colleges can protect themselves from being named in…

This comprehensive reference reviews court decisions affecting the operation, management, and governance of public schools. This edition analyzes all public school cases decided during the 1982 calendar years and reported in West's Regional, Federal, and Supreme Court Resports, through the December 1982 advance sheets. Included as well are 1981…

Examined are the mandates of the Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention (not ratified by the United States), which set aside approximately two-thirds of the world's oceans as a "common heritage of mankind" to further the establishment of a "new economic order." The convention established an International Seabed Authority designed to…

The legal system has significantly influenced the everyday operation of American public schools in the last 20 years. Because of the increasing probability of teacher involvement in a legal incident, a working knowledge of the law as it relates to physical education is important. Included in this document, which focuses on tort liability for…

In 1983, the Ohio State Board of Education responded to the public's expectations for schools by adopting minimum standards requiring competency-based education in mathematics on a 5-year cycle, of each school district's competency-based education program; and to publish an annual report on competency-based education in Ohio. This document is the…

Sixth in a series providing a scope treatment of case law on a wide range of public school issues, this monograph reviews selected federal and state decisions handed down between June 30, 1982 and June 30, 1983. School board issues covered include at-large election, open meeting laws, and authority to close schools, reduce slaries, interpret…