http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/ Mark Walsh is a contributing writer to Education Week. He has covered legal issues in education for more than 17 years. He writes about school-related cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and in lower courts. en Copyright 2009 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:09 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.31-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss A handful of lawsuits and new policies over school e-mail are making headlines: The Wisconsin Supreme Court next week will take up a case about whether e-mails composed by teachers on school computers, both personal and work-related, constitute public records... http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/11/youve_got_mail_controversies_o.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/11/youve_got_mail_controversies_o.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:09 -0500 A Fordham study says many states manage student databases in ways that threaten privacy. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/student_data_in_state_systems.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/student_data_in_state_systems.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:53 -0500 The 6th Circuit deadlocks on a key challenge to the No Child Left Behind Act, thus upholding a lower court's dismissal of the case. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/appeals_court_upholds_dismissa.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/appeals_court_upholds_dismissa.html Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:53:26 -0500 The suit alleges that a district violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to assign the teacher to a classroom with natural light. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/court_revives_teachers_suit_ov.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/court_revives_teachers_suit_ov.html Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:48:41 -0500 A federal district judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the teacher-licensure test in Massachusetts discriminates against minorities and those whose second language is English. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/judge_dismisses_suit_over_mass.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/judge_dismisses_suit_over_mass.html Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:46:33 -0500 Often, after big, complicated civil rights litigation in such areas as school desegregation and the reform of foster care, there is a second battle: over attorneys' fees for the prevailing party. The U.S. Supreme Court today took up an important... http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/justices_weigh_enhanced_fees_i.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/justices_weigh_enhanced_fees_i.html Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:26:00 -0500 A federal district judge upheld the practice of schools leading the Pledge of Allegiance amid a challenge by parents who objected to exposing their children to the words "under God" in the pledge. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/federal_judge_upholds_pledge_o.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/federal_judge_upholds_pledge_o.html Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:28:12 -0500 The U.S. Supreme Court denied review of several education appeals, including cases about the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, T-shirts bearing Confederate symbols, peer sexual harassment, and special education. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/supreme_court_opening_day_do_n.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/10/supreme_court_opening_day_do_n.html Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:41:23 -0500 Although there are no cases directly involving K-12 schools on the docket for the new Supreme Court term, there are still several granted cases worth looking at. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/granted_cases_to_watch_in_the.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/granted_cases_to_watch_in_the.html Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:57:20 -0500 The justices add several cases to their docket for the new term, but no education cases were among them. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/no_school_cases_among_todays_s.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/no_school_cases_among_todays_s.html Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:45:31 -0500 A new book of essays examines the understudied role of the judiciary in the American education system. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/book_report_from_schoolhouse_t.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/book_report_from_schoolhouse_t.html Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:04:03 -0500 Appeals pending at the court involve school disputes over the Pledge of Allegiance, Confederate T-shirts, challenges to books in public school libraries, and student religious messages at graduation ceremonies. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/hot-button_education_appeals_p.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/hot-button_education_appeals_p.html Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:27:51 -0500 OK, comments, yes, but not that many letters. But below is a link to a letter published in Education Week responding to a recent post of mine about the case of Debbie Almontaser, who lost her job as a New... http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/letters_we_get_letters.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/letters_we_get_letters.html Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:36:37 -0500 A ruling by a California court raises questions about how schools handle student harassment, as well as the use of arbitration for disputes at private schools. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/private_schools_student_harass.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/private_schools_student_harass.html Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:33:36 -0500 A school district did not violate students' rights when it barred the wind ensemble from performing "Ave Maria" at a high school graduation ceremony, a court ruled. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/school_could_bar_religious_mus.html http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2009/09/school_could_bar_religious_mus.html Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:35:37 -0500