What is the scope of First Amendment free expression rights of public school employees and students? Following a long period with no Supreme Court rulings pertaining to public employee or student speech, the Court since 2006 has delivered significant opinions in this regard. These decisions continue the trend of narrowing the circumstances under…

In recent years, immigration has become a hot-button issue--so much that mere mention of the word almost guarantees an impassioned response. Whether that response generates ideas and hope, debate and frustration, or even anger, depends on seemingly innumerable factors. Everything from personal preferences, politics, and prejudices to ethnic,…

In his 2004 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush described drug testing as "an effective part" of an "aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce demand for illegal drugs" (as cited in Lineburg, Alexander, & Sughrue, 2006 [emphasis added]). His statement fueled debate about the role of U.S. public schools…

In its landmark decision in "Goss v. Lopez" (1975), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that for a suspension of 10 days or fewer, public school officials must provide the student with at least the following minimum of procedural protection on the basis of the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause: oral (or written) notice of the charges…

The question is not, Will religious controversy hit your school? but rather, Will you be adequately grounded in knowledge about the law when it does? As communities have become more culturally diverse, the number of disagreements regarding the role and place of religion in schools has increased. Consequently, every principal must know the current…