Guidelines which reflect the level of the parents' legal involvement is advocated to protect the child's "best interests": when parents choose mediation, a specialist in child custody is appointed to educate and assist in the decision-making process; when parents choose litigation, counsel is appointed to represent the child. (Author)

Opinions are offered regarding: Is it ever proper to consider the race of an applicant, among other attributes? If so, why, and in what ways? Are there significant distinctions to be drawn between the use of quotas and other approaches to the recruitment of minority students? (Author/LBH)

Reviews college admissions policies as they may be affected by court decisions. Deals specifically with Bakke v. Regents of the University of California, Hupart v. Board of Higher Education of the City of New York, Griggs v. Duke Power Co., the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Washington v. Davis. (RT)

A survey and analysis of all case law in one state showed a substantial increase in litigation over the last three decades, arising from the growing number of causes of action, especially statutory, available to litigants and increases in categories of plaintiffs willing to sue. Most concern institutions' external constituencies. (MSE)

The merits of student arguments challenging the constitutionality of mandatory student fees to finance certain activities or services are examined and balanced against the public university's interest in providing a forum for the expression of diverse and controversial ideas. (MSE)

Research suggests that federal legislation to resolve educational issues may be unrealistic and unworkable in practice. Parents and school officials accustomed to controlling educational decision making do not appreciate policy imposition from a distant bureaucracy; responses to policy may produce unequal or unfair outcomes when implemented at the…

A case in which a Georgetown University gay student group sued the institution for its refusal to allow use of university facilities is discussed, focusing on the conflicts between freedom of religious exercise and statutory civil rights and between libertarian and egalitarian values. (MSE)

The right to form adult consensual intimate relationships is a fundamental personal freedom. A strong and effective university policy against sexual harassment and the recognition of faculty and students' right to privacy will, within the parameters of constitutional guarantees, serve both the university's and the individual's interest.…

A case in which California's constitutional right to privacy is used to protect confidential peer review files is analyzed, and the case's significance and possible ramifications for discovery requests of peer review files are discussed. (MSE)

The significance of the court decision in Pime vs. Loyola University of Chicago, concerning the university's right to reserve tenure track positions for Jesuit faculty, is in the expansion of the defense relating to bona fide occupational qualifications. It opens other schools to similar litigation. (MSE)

The most likely legal challenge to assessment centers is racial discrimination. Although validation studies have shown the assessment center to be job related and no equally effective alternative to be available, futher validation will be needed with each new application of assessment centers in certification and employment decisions. (MLF)

Discusses "Mozert v. Hawkins County Public Schools" (Tennessee), a case involving a controversial reading textbook offending fundamentalist parents of six middle school children. The Court of Appeals reversed a district court ruling, holding that uniform use of the Holt textbook was not essential to the state's goals to teach reading.…

Discusses the debate over proper balance between a school board's authority to prescribe a uniform curriculum and parent's First Amendment right to free exercise of religion, citing a recent Tennessee case which determined that uniform use of objectionable texts is not crucial for a sound education. (WTH)

Presents a case illustrating the legal and jurisdictional problems confronting Indian tribes when they attempt to deal with mentally disordered and dangerous Indian persons. Discusses lack of facilities on Indian reservations and the difficulties involved in tribal courts using state facilities. Outlines an extralegal solution that allows one…

Chaska High School (Minnesota) established a firm district policy to prevent unauthorized, illegal duplication of computer software by teachers and students. The policy's success depends on an ethics re-education program for users, increased funding for software, and a preview library for teachers. (MLH)