The Los Angeles Unified School District is experiencing a new wave of unaccompanied minor immigrants coming to its schools--some with mental health issues related to their past lives and their trek into the U.S. The district has a bevy of programs intended to help those students with their trauma, their home relationships, and their legal status.

Students suffer extreme hardship when their postsecondary education is interrupted or significantly devalued by school closure or misconduct. Private postsecondary education in particular can cost tens of thousands of dollars in tuition, fees, equipment, and required materials. These considerable expenses constitute only part of the economic harm…

A little over 35 years have passed since the original "Larry P." decision was handed down in 1979 by Robert Peckham, a federal judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The "Larry P. case" is a shorthand moniker that refers to a class action lawsuit, supported by the Bay Area Association of Black…

Just 18 minutes before the midnight signing deadline on May 15, 2010, Minnesota state legislators breathed a sigh of relief. Their bipartisan pension reform legislation, which passed both chambers by large margins and aimed to help shore up a potentially failing pension system, had just escaped a veto threat. Under pressure from his Republican…

It was late on Election Day 2010 and Vander Plaats, a Sioux City, Iowa, businessman and leader of a campaign to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices, had just gotten word that he and his team had pulled it off. The voters had rejected the three justices up for a retention vote: David Baker, Michael Streit, and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus.…

Legal issues have increasingly come to the forefront in academic libraries in recent years. Most of these issues involve The Rehabilitation Act, Section 504 (1973) or Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), complaints related to discriminatory practices with regard to accommodations or assistive technologies. This article provides a brief synopsis…

There is a drug crisis in the United States that is growing at an alarming rate. Its participants work in our businesses, government agencies, and schools. California leads the nation in drug use and until recently, Fresno County was the leader in methamphetamine production. This drug crisis is having a paralyzing effect causing loss of income,…

In "Hosemann v. Oakland Unified School District," a California Superior Court ruled that Oakland public schools have an affirmative duty to alleviate crime and violence on school campuses. Both students and staff members are now protected against violent acts on school grounds. Guidelines are offered for school boards and administrators…

The United States Supreme Court upheld a California state law requiring employers to allow a pregnant woman up to four months of unpaid maternity leave if she claims pregnancy as a disability. A bill before Congress addresses parental leave and job protection for parents caring for a new baby or a sick child. (MLH)

A proposed law barring public social services to illegal immigrants poses a dilemma for California colleges. It calls for state and local agencies, including colleges and universities, to report suspected violators. Opponents see the law as sanctioning racism. Fairness to students and burden on the institutions are major issues. (MSE)

Most young people who harass and bully sexual minorities are not hate-filled extremists, but ignoramuses. Anti-gay slurs can escalate to violence. A California principal's discussion of Leroy Aarons's "Prayers for Bobby" with staff raised awareness of school safety and the need to value every student. (MLH)

One of the major concerns of the California school district represented in this case study centered on the possible legal problems associated with minimum competency testing (MCT). The responses of the district to the California law regarding MCT, and to six potential problem areas, are documented. (LC)

Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl University (DQU), like most American Indian and Chicano efforts, was not created without serious difficulties. During the first stage of DQU's establishment, from 1961 through the early part of 1970, very little positive response took place. Although hundreds of letters and proposals were sent to tribal leaders, government…