Educator's Guide to Texas School Law.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. An Overview of Education Law, Texas Schools, and Parent Rights -- Sources of Law -- Constitutional Law -- Statutory Law -- Administrative Law -- Judicial Law -- The Structure and Governance of the Texas School System -- Texas Legislature -- State Board of Education and the Texas Education Agency -- Local School Districts -- Charter Schools -- Private Schools -- School Administrators -- District- and Campus-Level Decision-Making -- How the U.S. Constitution and Federal Government Affect Texas Schools -- Key Provisions of the U.S. Constitution -- Important Federal Statutes -- School Finance -- Parent Rights -- Rights within Public Schools -- Choosing Private Schools -- Educating Children at Home -- Summary -- 2. Student Attendance and the Instructional Program -- Attendance -- Impermissible Discrimination -- Residency, Guardianship, and the Right to Attend a District's Schools -- The Compulsory School Attendance Law -- Kindergarten and Prekindergarten Programs -- Absences -- Maintaining a Safe School Environment -- The Instructional Program -- The Required Curriculum -- Student Assessment -- School District Accountability -- The Effect of the No Child Left Behind Act -- Removal of Objectionable Library and Study Materials -- Technology at School: Computers, the Internet, and Cell Phones -- The Federal Copyright Law -- Extracurricular Activities and the UIL -- Addressing the Needs of Special Groups -- At-Risk Children -- Bilingual Children -- Gifted Children -- Abused and Neglected Children -- Summary -- 3. Special Education -- The Jargon of Special Education -- Federal Legislation -- Child Find -- Evaluation -- Eligibility -- Response to Intervention (RtI) -- ARD Committee -- Individualized Education Program -- General Curriculum -- NCLB and Statewide Assessments -- Least Restrictive Environment.

Procedural Safeguards -- Attorneys' Fees -- FAPE -- Related Services -- Extended School Year Services -- Unilateral Placements -- Private-School Children -- Discipline of Students with Disabilities -- Expulsion -- Stay Put -- Change of Placement -- Ten Days -- Manifestation Determinations -- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 -- Summary -- 4. The Employment Relationship -- Constitutional Issues -- Due Process of Law -- How Much Process Is Due? -- Types of Employment Arrangements -- At-Will Employment -- Non-Chapter 21 Contracts -- Probationary Contracts -- Term Contracts -- Continuing Contracts -- Third-Party Independent Contract Educators and Retire/Rehire -- Selection of Staff -- Certification and the Role of SBEC -- Nondiscrimination Laws -- Protected Activity -- The Hiring Process -- Criminal Records -- The Impact of NCLB -- Restrictions on Employment -- Ending the Relationship -- At-Will Employees -- Non-Chapter 21 Contracts -- Probationary Contracts -- Term Contracts -- Contract Nonrenewal -- Contract Termination -- Professional Capacity -- Dual-Assignment Contracts -- Remedies -- Reduction in Force (RIF) -- Continuing Contracts -- The Independent Hearing System -- A Few Final Thoughts on "Good Cause" -- Constructive Discharge -- Summary -- 5. Personnel Issues -- Reassignment -- The Constitutional Issues -- Same Professional Capacity -- Compensation Issues -- Duties and Schedule -- The Commissioner's Jurisdiction -- Reassignment of the Superintendent -- Compensation Disputes -- Teacher Appraisal -- Employment Benefits -- Planning and Preparation Period -- Duty-Free Lunch -- Personal Leave -- Health Insurance -- Assault Leave -- Teacher Retirement -- Temporary Disability Leave -- Family and Medical Leave Act -- USERRA -- Miscellaneous Leave Policies -- Wage and Hour Requirements -- Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Compensation.

Grievances and the Role of Employee Organizations -- Employee Grievances: A Little History -- Hearing Employee Grievances -- The Role of Employee Organizations -- Collective Bargaining on the National Scene -- The Law in Texas -- Summary -- 6. Expression and Associational Rights -- Educator Rights of Expression -- Expression outside the School -- Expression within the School -- Electronic Communication -- Academic Freedom -- Texas Whistleblower Act -- Educator Freedom of Association -- Student Rights of Expression -- Communication among Students on Campus -- School-Sponsored Student Publications -- Non-School-Sponsored Student Publications and Materials -- Electronic Communication -- Student Freedom of Association -- Summary -- 7. Religion in the Schools -- Legal Framework -- No Government Establishment of Religion -- Free Exercise of Religion -- Contemporary Issues -- The Pledge of Allegiance -- School Prayer -- School-Sponsored or Employee-Led Prayer -- Silent Meditation -- Invocations, Benedictions, and Religious Speeches at Graduation -- Baccalaureate Ceremonies -- Student-Initiated Prayer at School, Extracurricular Activities, and Athletic Events -- Teaching Creation-Science -- Secular Humanism and Pagan Religion -- Religion in Classrooms, Choir Programs, and Holiday Observances -- Teaching about Religion -- Student Papers and Presentations on Religious Topics -- Choir Programs -- Holiday Observances -- Clergy in the Schools -- Distribution of Religious Literature -- Wearing Religious Symbols -- Student Religious Groups Meeting on Campus -- Religious Exemptions -- Assistance to Sectarian Private Schools -- Summary -- 8. Student Discipline -- Constitutional Concerns: Due Process -- Other Constitutional Issues -- Overbreadth -- Protected Areas -- Void for Vagueness -- Chapter 37: An Overview -- Student Code of Conduct -- Bullying.

Teacher-Initiated Removal -- Suspension -- Removal to a DAEP -- Mandatory Placements -- Discretionary Placements -- Procedure -- Life in a DAEP -- Expulsion -- Grounds -- Procedures -- Emergency Actions -- Interaction with Law Enforcement -- Other Disciplinary Practices -- Corporal Punishment -- Suspension from Extracurricular Activities -- Summary -- 9. Privacy Issues: Community, Educators, Students -- The Legal Framework -- The U.S. Constitution -- Federal Statutes -- State Law -- The Texas Open Meetings and Public Information Acts -- Texas Open Meetings Act -- Meetings and Quorums -- Notice -- Emergency Meetings -- Closed Sessions -- Tape Recordings and Certified Agendas -- Meetings by Telephone and Videoconference Call -- Internet Broadcast -- Violations -- Criminal Provisions -- Texas Public Information Act -- Items That Must Be Disclosed -- Personal Information -- Criminal History Information, Witness Statements, and Investigative Reports -- Inter- or Intraagency Memoranda -- Student Records -- Other Exempt Items -- Production of Records -- Educator Privacy Rights -- Lifestyle Issues -- Employee Drug Testing -- Personnel Records and Employee References -- Search of School Computer Files and Pagers -- Search of File Cabinets -- Student Privacy Rights -- Student Personal Privacy -- Student Records -- Parent Rights -- Education Records -- Disclosure of Records -- Recordkeeping -- Violations -- Child Custody Issues -- Student Dress and Grooming -- Student Search and Seizure -- Standards for Student Searches -- Strip Searches -- Use of Magnetometers, Metal Detectors, and Breathalyzers -- Locker and Desk Searches -- Search of Cell Phones and Electronic Communications -- Use of Sniffer Dogs to Conduct Searches -- Student Drug Testing -- Summary -- 10. Legal Liability -- Identifying Areas of Legal Liability -- State Torts -- School District Immunity.

Sovereign Immunity and Contract Cases -- Qualified Immunity for Public School Professional Employees -- The Special Case of Corporal Punishment and Physical Force -- Law and the School Counselor -- Federal Civil Rights Liability -- Governmental Liability -- Individual Liability -- Personal Injuries and the Constitution -- A Federally Protected Right -- The District Itself Is Responsible -- More Than Negligence -- A New Theory -- Liability under Federal Statutory Law -- Summary -- Appendixes -- A. How to Find and Read a Court Case -- B. Glossary of Legal Terminology -- C. Reference Sources -- Index of Cases -- Index of Topics.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.