Discusses five areas of the school environment lending themselves to the possibility of teacher and student teacher liability: negligence, malpractice, rights to privacy, field trips, and search of students and school property. Suggests specific guidelines for decreasing the possibility of adverse legal action. (NEC)

Two recent Supreme Court decisions have a major effect on special education litigation. The first requires schools to provide "related services" of a paramedical nature to handicapped children; the second limits school board liability for attorney's fees in successful special education lawsuits. (TE)

Legal and statistical problems arise in sex discrimination suits in higher education, and it is important for litigants to understand the peculiarities of the issues in analyzing these cases. The analyses are applicable to recruitment, hiring, contract renewal, salary, promotion, and tenure claims. (MSE)

The efficacy of student ratings is examined through existing research, and it is concluded that although the ratings are generally reliable and valid indicators of teaching effectiveness and are not strongly influenced by extraneous factors, additional independent evaluation means are needed. (MSE)

A current United States Supreme Court case will determine constitutional guidelines for school administrators in searching students for drugs and other school contraband. Thus far, the New Jersey Supreme Court has established a demanding standard for warrantless searches of students and their property, requiring respect for students'"valid…

Hearings and other due process protections have recently been extended to many social welfare clients. If clients are to benefit, practitioners must be trained in legal skills, and agencies structured to accommodate due process hearings without compromising their other obligations. (Author)

Two remedies exist for employment discrimination: Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and section 1981 of Title 42 of the U. S. Code, recently resurrected by the Supreme Court in Johnson v. REA. The author points out that this has increased the workload of the judiciary, especially since 1981 has no statute of limitations. (LBH)

In an effort to address the series of school shootings in the 1990s, several organizations compiled and published checklists and other materials for schools to use in identifying students who might be capable of violent acts. As a consequence, schools have entered into the controversial world of profiling. In this paper, the authors use their…

This paper sets out the legal grounds for sexual harassment claims in education settings, and notes a number of pertinent cases that are illustrative of common legal and factual issues. Sexual harassment, including sexual abuse, is prohibited by federal and state statutes. Sexual harassment in the context of employment constitutes employment…

This pamphlet abstracts from the National Association of College and University Attorneys'"Sexual Harassment on Campus: A Legal Compendium," Third Edition, suggestions for administrators and others on conducting an appropriate and timely sexual harassment investigation. Specific topics covered are: (1) "Conducting an Appropriate and Timely…

The Law Division section of the proceedings contains the following seven papers: "Silencing Foreign Voices: Restrictions on Alien Ownership of Broadcast Stations" (James V. D'Aleo); "The First Amendment & Postmodern Tendencies in Cyberspace" (Justin Brown); "Contracting the News: A Study of Online News User…

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), otherwise known as the Buckley Amendment, is an amendment passed by Congress to protect the privacy and rights of postsecondary students. Researchers seeking information about FERPA have faced difficulty in finding pertinent source materials on the subject. This compendium gathers…

Argues that the present state of confusion in regard to the legal status of the native American is a direct result of the government's failure to resolve the controversy between assimilation and separatism; the entire body of law dealing with native Americans is built upon these two conflicting themes. (Author/JM)

The United States Supreme Court is expected to rule on a case involving the tax-exempt status of educational institutions that have racially discriminatory policies, in particular, Bob Jones University. A picture of life at the school is offered along with an interview with its president. (MLW)

This paper examines how child protection legislation has affected educational systems and school personnel in Canada and the United States and draws general conclusions about the adequacy of legislation concerning child abuse reporting requirements. Vagueness in the laws leads to problems with their implementation. (PP)