Legal Perspectives on Education

The U.S. Constitution• 10th Amendment- Grants the power of public education to the states.

• 1st Amendment- two clauses of this amendment have been applied repeatedly to education.• Establishment Clause- This states

that government may not establish a religion.• Free Speech Clause- The idea that

teachers and students have certain rights to free speech.

• 14th Amendment- Grants equal protection to students, faculty and staff.

How can a teacher violate the establishment clause?

What historical events led to the implementation of the 14th amendment on public schools?

Separation of Church and StatePublic Funds for Religious Education

Religion in Public Schools

Should we provide public school buses for private religious schools?

Can we supplement salaries for private school teachers teaching secular subjects?

Can we provide tuition money for students who attend private religious school?

Should Prayer be a part of the public school curriculum?

Should we teach both Evolution and Creationism?

Can students pray in public school?

Can students have a religious club in public school?

Create a table and share your opinion on these issues. Please back up your opinion with a statement on why you feel that way.

Segregation in Public Schools

• Plessy vs Ferguson- 1896 the U.S. supreme Court ruled that black and white accommodations could be separate as long as they were equal.• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoOlEPoc1PEWhat were the direct and lasting effects of Plessy, as stated in the video?

• Equal was a relative term. Equal did not mean the same, just that if there was a white school there had to be a black school. The schools were far from equal.• Make a t-chart and summarize the the points on the this

website. http://abhmuseum.org/2012/09/education-for-blacks-in-the-jim-crow-south/

Desegregation• Brown vs Board of Education Topeka, Kansas- 1954 the U.S. Supreme

Court ruled that separate was not inherently equal and racial segregation violated the 14th amendment equal protection clause.• http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_brown.html• In the article what did the Warren Court say about education in the 20th

century and the effects of denying a child that education?

Affirmative actionWatch the following video?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJgQR6xiZGs

• What is affirmative action?• How does it help minorities?• How can it disadvantage whites?• What is your opinion of affirmative action?

Uses of Social Media and the Law• Read and summarize the sections on Email and Social Networking

Risks in your textbook on pages 281 & 282