Book Description

Updated and revised to reflect new policy and legal decisions, the Fifth Edition of "Public School Law: Teachers' and Students' Rights," provides an all-inclusive treatment of the current status and evolution of the law governing public schools, making it the most comprehensive and well-documented text of its kind. The text addresses legal principles applicable to practitioners in a comprehensive manner avoiding the extensive use of legal terms while still providing thorough documentation for further exploration of issues. It uniquely blends a detailed treatment of landmark cases with a thorough discussion of the legal context, trends, and generalizations to guide all school personnel in their daily activities. Comprehensive coverage of students' and teachers' rights are presented in a clear, straightforward manner. In this new edition, changes in the law and emerging areas of controversy, such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, student-initiated devotional activities, discipline of children with disabilities, use of metal detectors in student searches, drug testing of students and employees, judicial oversight in school desegregation, and implementation of affirmative action plans are highlighted. New to This Edition: The content in all chapters has been updated and rewritten, and new sections have been added to reflect recent litigation and capture emerging issues of legal concern. New chapter on special education law (Rights of Students with Disabilities), with charts illustrating IDEA Due Process and applicable laws, reflects the level of legal activity in this area. Increased coverage on numerous topics including sexualharassment, zero tolerance policies, internet use, drug testing, vouchers, and high stakes testing maintains the timeliness of the text so that readers will have access to the most current legal decisions. Extensive documentation in the footnotes, at the bottom of each page, includes not only cases, but also relevant articles for further review. Expanded list of landmark cases in appendices makes it easy to use this book as a reference.