Describes judicial attitudes toward the needs of linguistic minorities in the 1960s and 1970s and the shift during the last decade from mandating national standards to emphasizing local community discretion. Explores the implications for the national-value/community-value distinction for bilingual education and for current controversies concerning…

The "pig in the parlor" refers to a growing area of censorship. In this paper, "parlor" stands for public schools, and "pig" for speech that need not be protected if it occurs at an inappropriate time or place, i.e., if such speech is not considered to bear the "imprimatur" of the schools. A review of the…

This book is a collection of 19 addresses made at the 1978 annual convention of the National Organization on Legal Problems of Education (NOLPE). Some of the topics covered include: suits against school officials, Title IX, competency testing, teaching moral and spiritual values in public schools, the Bakke decision, unintended impacts of Supreme…

This booklet lists the laws that relate to Nebraska social studies. The volume is intended for administrators, teachers, and curriculum planners to assist them to do a more thorough job of planning social studies programs. The Nebraska Social Studies Statutes are designed to be a primary tool in developing a district's curriculum, as they speak to…

This exploratory essay suggests the contours of a social history of law and public education. The essay departs from two traditional approaches to educational law: the study of landmark cases, and textbooks that delimit legally approved practice. Instead the changing dialectic between statutory and court-decided law is analyzed, stressing how…

In "Mozert," fundamentalist parents claim that the reading curriculum interfered with their right to transmit religious values to their children. The district court fashioned an excusal scheme; however, the Sixth Circuit reversed this decision. Reviews the facts, analyzes points of law left unresolved, and discusses the broader…

A review of cases involving higher education property matters shows that many are concerned with building construction, equipment installation, or repair contracts. A number of other cases involve routine conflicts between colleges or universities and other governmental entities over matters such as requests for special exceptions to zoning…

The educational beliefs of Supreme Court Justices in the 1980s are examined, i.e., the explicitly stated beliefs, rather than any inferred beliefs based on legal decisions. In particular, the focus is on beliefs expressed only in the major Court opinions rendered in the 1980s. Issues discussed include the definition of education, its relation to…

Reproduced here are the text of the 1982 Supreme Court decision "Plyler v. Doe" and its companion cases, "In Re Alien Children Litigation." An introductory statement explains that in this opinion the Court struck down a Texas law prohibiting tuition-free education for children of illegal aliens, on the grounds that education…

The material presented in this compilation constitutes a second supplement to Bulletin, 1915, No. 47, "Digest of Stage Laws Relating to Public Education," the first such supplement having been embodied in Bulletin, 1918, No. 23, "State Laws Relating to Education, Enacted in 1915, 1916, and 1917." The period covered extends from…

Examines two related issues: the right of teachers to select instructional materials and to select instructional methods. Court decisions indicate that materials and methods must have educational value, relevance, and suitability to the age and maturity of the students. Prior administrative approval, while not necessarily required, is beneficial.…

Supreme Court decisions made during the previous and present terms as well as some that will be rendered next term are discussed. Among the cases, the following are of particular relevance to school board members. In "Memphis Community Schools v. Stachura" the Court declared that damages based on the "value" of constitutional…

Attempts by courts in the United States and Canada to define the rights of children, parents, and educators are described, and their shortcomings and contradictions are pointed out. The author suggests another approach based on utilitarian values and pre-suppositions presented in works by John Stuart Mill. (PP)

The "Hazelwood" decision has moved the argument about student rights of freedom of expression from the courthouse to the statehouse. A growing list of states have considered legislation to restore students' rights, and a number of local school boards are also reaffirming the value of a free student press. (MLF)

Describes a complex court case involving a Massachusetts elementary teacher whose contract was not renewed because she was cohabiting with a suspected (but eventually exonerated) child abuser. School officials should resist the knee-jerk reaction to terminate a teacher's contract on the grounds of narrow, homogeneous community values regarding…