The First Amendment in Schools: A Guide from the First Amendment Center

Charles C. Haynes

ASCD, 2003 - Education - 205 pages

What are the First Amendment rights? How do you resolve questions about the rights of students, educators, and parents in a school setting?

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the most basic and cherished rights of society--religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly. Anyone who wants to know more about those freedoms in the context of schools will find The First Amendment in Schools a rich resource for study and application. The book includes

* An explanation of the origins of the First Amendment

* A concise, chronological history of 50 legal cases, including many landmark decisions, involving the First Amendment in public schools

* Answers to frequently asked questions about the practice of the First Amendment in schools, covering specific issues of religious liberty, free speech, and press as they affect school prayer, use of school facilities, dress and speech codes, student press, book selection, and curriculum

* General information on First Amendment expression and practice in schools

* Information on more than 60 educational and advocacy programs and organizations for First Amendment resources

* A profile of First Amendment Schools

This book provides a civic and legal framework for giving all members of the school community--students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members--a real voice in shaping the life of the school.

Contents

• How to Use This Book: 1
• A Brief Introduction to the US Court System: 2
• Decoding a Legal Citation: 4
• The Birth of the First Statement: 9
• The Call for a New Government: 10
• The Role of James Madison: 11
• The Adoption of the First Amendment: 12
• Educating for Freedom and Responsibility: 17
• Vision Statement: 18
• Frequently Asked Questions: 21
• Project Schools: 24
• Part II Core Issues For All Schools to Consider: 34
• The Establishment Clause: 35
• The Free Exercise Clause: 38
• Accommodating the Religious Needs and Requirements of Students: 39
• School Prayer and Student Religious Expression: 42
• Student Extracurricular Clubs and Activities: 47
• Teaching About Religion: 51
• Religious Holidays: 55
• Use of School Facilities by Outside Groups: 57
• Cooperative Agreements Between Public Schools and Religious Communities: 58
• ReleasedTime Programs: 59
• Speech Codes: 69
• Student Distribution of Literature: 73
• Student Dress and School Uniforms: 74
• Student Publications: 86
• Teacher and Administrator Rights and Responsibilities: 92
• Book Selection and Other Decisions About the Curriculum: 104
• Part III 50 Key Legal Cases: 116
• Case Directory: 117
• Supreme Court Case Summaries: 119
• Lower Court Case Summaries: 143
• Part IV Resources: 167
• Selected Education Groups: 177
• Selected Advocacy Groups: 181
• Selected Bibliography: 186
• Index: 190
• About the Authors: 203

Bibliographic information

• Title: The First Amendment in Schools: A Guide from the First Amendment Center
• Author: Charles C. Haynes
• Contributor: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
• Publisher: ASCD, 2003
• ISBN: 087120777X, 9780871207777
• Length: 205 pages
• Subjects: Education / Adult & Continuing Education; Education / Educational Policy & Reform / General; Education / General; Education / Philosophy, Theory & Social Aspects; Education / Professional Development; Education / Teaching / General; Education / Vocational & Technical; LAW / Public; Law / Constitutional; Law / Educational Law & Legislation; Political Science / Civil Rights; Political Science / Constitutions