Connecting the Courtroom to the Classroom: How Educators Can Claim Their Agency through Legal Literacy

This article highlights the challenges educators face due to changing laws and legal precedents. It suggests that increasing educators' legal literacy can empower them to confidently pursue their goals within the law.

Teachers and administrators must regularly navigate a host of complex issues influenced by ever-changing laws and often ambiguous legal guidance. Recent trends in legislation aimed at restricting curricula and educators’ actions have only complicated educators’ efforts to do what they feel is in children's best interests. Additionally, recent cases like Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. or Kennedy v. Bremerton School District have upended legal precedent and educational practice in ways that could significantly impact the daily actions of teachers and administrators.

Recognizing that educators have limited preparation in the law and often view it as a source of anxiety, this article proposes that increasing educators’ legal literacy can empower educators to claim their agency and become more confident to pursue their educational goals within and through the law.