This paper--part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002--addresses social forces that affect the school curriculum regarding legal rights of public-school students. It identifies areas of concern and recommends methods for ensuring that the legal rights of students are integrated into the schools curriculum. Three areas of concern, according to this paper, are as follows: (1) American society's return to an 18th-century model of punishment in dealing with misbehavior; (2) the blurring of the line between school supervision and police action, resulting in such actions as unwarranted drug tests and searches; and (3) zero-tolerance policies, which represent the epitome of the authoritarian structure, a punishment-centered bureaucracy. The paper makes the following recommendations: Implement a school curriculum that encourages participatory democracy and fosters a climate in which students and staff understand the need to respect the rights of others. Make the classroom more democratic so that students will internalize the values of their classrooms. Teach civil liberties through modeling by teachers. Install peer-mediation programs for students. Finally, encourage compassionate educational leadership that helps students become more humane, caring individuals. (Contains nine references.) (WFA)