In "Centennial School District v. Commonwealth" the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the school district only had to provide individualized instruction to the gifted student within the district's present curriculum. The decision can be cited as persuasive authority in the 25 states that have mandatory gifted education statutes. (MLF)

Several state courts have ruled that public money may be used to inform the voters about a school bond referendum and the project to be financed with bond proceeds, but may not be used to promote passage of the referendum. (MLF)

Responds to an article by Mark Jaffee and Kenneth Kersch published in the Summer 1991 issue of the "Journal of Law and Education." Argues that the judicial role is often necessary but not sufficient to achieve fiscal equity and that, ultimately, the electorate must be educated and persuaded of the value of public school funding reform.…

Presents a comparative examination of state statutory codes related to public educator termination, and an analysis of recent court cases involving hearing officers in public education termination actions. (68 footnotes) (MLF)

Three California court decisions suggest that school districts should work with their cities and counties to put policies and guidelines in their general plan requiring public infrastructures, including schools, to keep pace with development. (MLF)

Addresses the authority of school officials to regulate student dress by examining school dress codes, first with respect to communicative dress--or dress that communicates speech--and then with respect to noncommunicative dress. Provides a summary of the law on dress codes and a basic set of rules to assist school officials in drafting…

Analyzes the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision in "McDuffy" and places it in the context of other state court decisions that have declared public school finance schemes unconstitutional. "McDuffy" requires the state legislature to provide additional money for poor school districts and strive to achieve a high…

Justifies teaching trials as a way to enrich the social studies curriculum. Explains that by incorporating the study of historical and contemporary trials into social studies classes, it furthers the civic competence of the students. Discusses different teaching approaches ranging from case studies and readers' theater to videos and literature.…

Reviews legal issues related to child custody decision making during and following divorce, and abstracts relevant information from all states. Discusses best interests of the child (BIOC) standard, legal standing of third parties litigating with natural parents, rights and responsibilities of noncustodial parents, and the role of alternative…

Gaps in early learning are starkly apparent among differing children even before they enter kindergarten. So, a rising number of states are trying to narrow initial achievement disparities by expanding access to quality preschool. At the same time, recent findings show that preschool is not a lasting inoculation: its benefits fade if children move…

To provide information about legal decisions on home-based private education programs, court cases decided since 1980 and the courts' analyses of constitutional issues raised during litigation are summarized. The memorandum discusses cases that involved challenges to the constitutionality of state home schooling regulations and are based on: (1)…

Updated information is provided in this addendum to an original report that assessed the equity of the Kansas School District Equalization Act (SDEA) from 1973 to 1988. This consultants' analysis on behalf of Turner School District in "Mock v. State of Kansas" consists of five parts. Following an introduction, section 2 reviews the…

Cases related to school policies that mandate or lead to automatic grade and/or credit reduction are reviewed in this study. Standard legal research methods were used to analyze 14 appellate and state court cases, which were categorized according to the type of sanction invoked: student suspension for violation of a disciplinary rule; automatic…

Parents generally expect public school districts to provide for their children's care and safety while they are at school. Although in the first half of the twentieth century common law tended to make school officials immune from suit, more recently public school districts, school employees, officers, and elected boards have been successfully sued…

This monograph, the fifth in a series, contains summaries and discussion of selected state and federal court decisions handed down during the Supreme Court's 1981-82 term. The cases were selected on the basis of their relevance to contemporary problems in public school settings, their definitiveness as articulations of existing law, and their…