The Rundown Managing religious identity vs. student rights in public schools entails protecting religious expression, not engaging in religious activities or favoring secular views over religious ones, or one religion over another, as an institution, and consistently addressing discriminatory harassment of religious and non-religious students. Schools should also consider parental...
The Rundown: DoDEA’s new cellphone restrictions require consistent policies, clear storage rules, and documented exceptions across all 161 schools. Poor implementation can create safety risks, disability-law concerns, parent disputes, due process claims, and uneven discipline. Schools can reduce liability by training staff, communicating clearly with families, monitoring enforcement, and aligning...
Harassment in schools manifests when a student is targeted and discriminated against due to their national origin, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or other identifiable characteristics, leading to an unsafe and hostile school environment. What are some examples of harassment? Examples of harassment in schools include physical acts, verbal insults,...
Educating students is not the only responsibility of school districts. Federal and state laws require schools to be proactive about protecting student civil rights and to foster a positive learning environment free from discriminatory harassment and abuse. Several federal laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section...
School negligence cases involving teachers, coaches, camp counselors, bus drivers, and other personnel resulting in injury to a child are ever-present in the news. Negligence in schools that results in sexual abuse, death, and sports injury all present opportunities for costly negligence claims that may entail large settlements or grave...
Key Takeaways: Schools and child-and youth-oriented agencies must uphold a higher standard of care tailored to a child’s unique needs when supervising children with behavioural and physical disabilities. They should ensure safety through adequate supervision of children with disabilities, specialized programs and services for qualifying students, and addressing issues that...