Features

• ‘I’m Calling My Lawyer’

  by James Wasser

  The superintendent of New Jersey’s Freehold Regional High School District has often received the threat, “I’m going to sue you.” He’s been able to sharply cut his schools’ legal costs and wasted time through prudence and diligent follow up, stemming the tide of unwarranted litigation.
  

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• Misbehavior in Cyberspace

  by Maureen A. MacFarlane

  The rise in social networking sites and chat rooms is contributing to claims of cyberbullying and harassment. School leaders now play a balancing act between free expression and student safety in cyberspace, according to the staff attorney in the Cambridge, Mass., Public Schools.
  

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• Personnel Pitfalls in Cyberworld

  by Thomas E. Wheeler III

  Do school system leaders have a duty to monitor the online actions of school staff and study the online presence of those applying for teaching vacancies? An Indianapolis-based education attorney sees a need for more diligence in dealing with questionable speech by educators on the Internet.
  

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• 10 Things Never To Say

  by Kimberly Croyle

  In individual education plan meetings, educational administrators can almost guarantee they’ll generate a parent appeal by making misleading or unintentional comments. Slips of the tongue can lead to bigger problems, such as due process hearings and complaints to the state education agency, a veteran education lawyer says in compiling 10 common verbal miscues.
  
  

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• Desegregation Dead? Not in This Court Decision

  by Maree Sneed

  School districts still have lawful options for integrating student populations despite the popular interpretation of a major U.S. Supreme Court decision on the subject in June. The author is a Washington, D.C. –based legal adviser to school districts and educational associations.
  

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• A Crack in the Educational Malpractice Wall

  by Terri A. DeMitchell and Todd A. DeMitchell

  With performance standards in place in schools nationwide, will it be long before federal and state courts recognize an individual student’s constitutional right to competent instruction in the classroom? The authors — a former school law attorney and a former superintendent — see the high-stakes testing environment contributing to the prospect of litigation ahead.
  

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