This four-day learning activity on the controversy of exclusion of gays and subsequently atheists in Boy Scouting is particularly relevant because it highlights the complexities that surround issues of equality, equity, the provision of leisure services, First Amendment rights, and the implications of court decisions on social justice. This lesson…

An external evaluation documented what occurred in an inaugural summer camp to teach high school students how to preserve religious freedom by learning about and acting on the history and current state of church-state separation and other first amendment issues. Camp designers hoped to promote religious diversity values and civic engagement in…

Despite past lessons, book-banning continues to exist at all levels within our democratic society. This case presents a realistic scenario when the school district, facing a book challenge by a concerned parent, responds by removing the book from the library. On the basis of a true story, the study features a parent of an elementary child…

Describes "The Southworth Project," an effort to bring together a small group of law students and journalism students to generate in-depth coverage of a Supreme Court case involving students, the University and the First Amendment. Examines the Southworth Project in detail and explains how the Project ideas developed. Notes the project's…

Describes Judges in the Classroom (JITC) that is a statewide program administered by the Washington State Office of the Administrator for the Courts. Explains that the program brings teachers and judges together to promote better understanding of the law and judiciary. Offers contact information for those interested in JITC. (CMK)

Discusses the project, "First Amendment Schools," by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the First Amendment Center (Arlington, Virginia). Explains that these schools involve students in the community and in democracy as a means to citizenship education. (CMK)

Winter 2007 marked an episode of high anxiety in the library science profession, when the latest Newbery winner, "The Higher Power of Lucky," triggered discussion about words and their suitability for young readers. It seems that the entire world now knows that the word "scrotum" appears on the first page of the book. School…

Discusses the extent to which public recreation programs can regulate attire which many people might consider offensive, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court states that school boards have the authority to decide what constitutes appropriate behavior and dress in public schools. One case involving a student who wanted to wear a Marilyn Manson…