This chapter provides an overview of recent school finance litigation at the local, state, and federal levels. The first section addresses legal challenges to state school finance systems and reviews decisions from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, New York, and West Virginia. Litigation attacking states' methods of funding public…

In February 1987, at a statewide meeting of North Carolina school board attorneys, it was revealed that most school board attorneys were not consulted about and had never seen the construction contracts executed by their clients. The general practice in the state was that the architects prepared the contracts using the standard American Institute…

Judicial decisions affecting educational policy and management that were handed down in 1987 by state appellate courts and federal courts are summarized and analyzed in this book. The analyses, each written by one or more experts in education law, are divided into eight topical chapters: (1) employees; (2) bargaining; (3) pupils; (4) handicapped;…

This chapter covers the nearly 250 cases reported in 1987 involving precollegiate public-sector employees. Those cases where purely procedural issues are involved are omitted, and procedural issues in the remaining cases are deemphasized. Although no United States Supreme Court cases in 1987 related to school employees, those from prior years are…

An increasing amount of case law dealing with collective bargaining in education was evident in 1987. The more than 100 cases cited indicate that educational employers and their unionized employees are increasingly resorting to the courts rather than resolving issues at the negotiation or arbitration table. However, there were no United States…

The sharp increase in the number of cases that involve school antidrug policies continued in 1987. Courts continued to support school policies that contain an automatic suspension or expulsion penalty for school drug possession. First Amendment religious cases also continued to increase in number. A new grouping of cases under the heading…

This document summarizes the nine presentations made at an institute on laser disk systems in libraries held at the Library of Congress in May 1987. The first speaker, Linda Helgerson, discussed advances in CD-ROM technology as well as its advantages and disadvantages. Judy McQueen focused primarily on the disadvantages of CD-ROM and urged caution…

This newsletter consists primarily of a legal review of the Supreme Court decision in "Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind" (January 27, 1986), in which unusually clear guidelines are set forth for a constitutionally acceptable program of educational assistance that may include parents whose children attend…

A conference on new perspectives in school administration was held for elementary school principals in the summer of 1975 by the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators. This paper summarizes material presented in five topic areas by eight speakers. Steve Goldschmidt's talk on school law touched on the administrator's and the school's…

This is a study of recent acts of violence perpetrated against racial, ethnic, and religious minorities in the United States, based upon information provided by State civil rights advisory committees and data from publications, reports, and the news media. At the outset, it is noted that the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi, and other extremist groups which…

This manual is designed to help students' advocates in their work on school discipline issues--when representing students in school disciplinary hearings, preparing court challenges, or working with groups of students and parents to change school disciplinary policy. The main body of the book is devoted to analysis of students' legal rights. The…

Since the 1960s, the number of strikes by public employees, especially local government employees, has increased, and the number of employees belonging to unions or associations has about tripled. Recently, attention has been focused on strikes by public employees as a result of the strike in 1981 by air traffic controllers and their subsequent…

Designed for students in grades 7-12, this social studies infusion unit examines individual rights and responsibilities in the context of the American criminal justice system and explores the balance between individual and group rights achieved at various levels of government. An introductory chapter establishes how crime control is…

Designed for teachers of students in grades 7-12, this social studies infusion unit examines individual rights and responsibilities in the context of the American criminal justice system and explores the balance between individual and group rights achieved at various levels of American government. An introductory chapter outlines the program and…

Ten essays discuss federal democracy, the form of government of the United States. The first essay discusses the origins of American federalism. The second examines why we have a federal system, the functions federalism serves, and the consequences of federalism for the American political system. Federalism in the Constitution and constitutional…