Education Law

Mich. Attorney General Backs Student Who Refused to Counsel Gay Patients

A graduate student kicked out of Eastern Michigan University after refusing to work with gay patients in its counseling program has won the backing of the Michigan attorney general. Former student Julea Ward contends she could not counsel a gay client because of her religious beliefs that homosexuality is immoral,…

Mar 15, 2011 1:04 PM CDT

Manhattan Mom Sues Pricey Preschool for Spending Too Much Time on Play

A Manhattan mom who has big plans for her daughter’s future education is so disappointed in the preschool she selected that she has filed a lawsuit against the $19,000-a-year institution. The suit filed by Nicole Imprescia claims the York Avenue Preschool failed to prepare her 4-year-old daughter for entrance exams…

Mar 15, 2011 12:20 PM CDT

Panel Says Law Prof Shouldn’t Be Fired Over Hypothetical Involving Dean’s Murder

A panel of faculty has recommended that Widener University School of Law not dismiss an associate professor who allegedly used a hypothetical in a criminal class that involved the dean’s murder. They said, however, that an effort to dismiss Lawrence Connell, 58, should be concluded without prejudice, leaving open the…

Mar 11, 2011 12:26 AM CST

Mississippi Lawsuit Takes on Corporal Punishment of Students, Seeks State Ban on Paddling

A federal lawsuit seeking to have paddling banned in Mississippi claims race and gender unfairly affect how the punishment is applied. While the court contemplates prohibiting the practice permanently, the suit is asking for a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order to stop paddlings, the Calhoun County Journal reports. “Mississippi…

Mar 9, 2011 9:48 PM CST

School Board Mulls $490K Settlement with Ex-Counsel Who Reported Chief Attorney’s ‘Postal’ Comment

A cash-strapped Florida school district is expected to consider tomorrow whether to pay $490,000 to a former senior associate general counsel who reported that his supervisor had allegedly made threatening comments about “going postal” and threatened to kill district employees, reports the Palm Beach Post. During the soap opera that…

Mar 8, 2011 5:32 PM CST

Singer Charged with Child Porn for Edited Video Showing Kids Listening to a Graphic Song

A singer and songwriter in Michigan is facing child pornography charges after posting a video he edited to make it appear that school kids were listening to him sing a song with graphic lyrics. Evan Emory could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted…

Mar 8, 2011 1:42 PM CST

Students Have Right to Wear ‘Be Happy, Not Gay’ T-Shirt, 7th Circuit Appeals Court Rules

A suburban Chicago school district that promotes tolerance must also allow students to express opposing views, so long as they are not unduly disruptive, a federal appeals court ruled as it upheld the right of high schoolers to wear a “Be Happy, Not Gay” T-shirt. “A school that permits advocacy…

Mar 3, 2011 12:24 AM CST

Math Teacher in California on Paid Leave After Rattling Table in Class

An eighth-grade math teacher in Northern California is on paid administrative leave after rattling a classroom table to get his students’ attention Tuesday. After receiving reports that a teacher at Atherton’s Selby Lane School was creating a disturbance and possibly hurling objects, officers went to the campus in the afternoon…

Mar 2, 2011 10:28 PM CST

Prestigious College Protests Virtual Twin, So Far to No Avail

It isn’t just individuals whose identity can be hijacked. Officials at prestigious Reed College, in Portland, Ore., were stunned to discover last year that much of their website had been copied by the nonexistent “University of Redwood,” reports the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). Although Reed has sought to shut…

Mar 2, 2011 12:28 AM CST

Boy, 8, Is Handcuffed and Charged with Aggravated Assault After 5th Arrest in 4 Months

An 8-year-old boy in special education classes has been criminally charged after his fifth arrest in four months for misbehaving at school. The boy, who is not identified because of his age, was charged with battery on a Riverside Elementary School employee, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disruption…

Feb 25, 2011 8:23 PM CST

Blogging Teacher Had a Free-Speech Right to Criticize Lazy Kids, Her Lawyer Says

A lawyer for a Pennsylvania teacher suspended for her blog comments about rude and lazy students says free speech rights are at stake. Steven Rovner represents Natalie Munroe, 30, who used profanity and complained about unmotivated students on her blog, the Associated Press reports. The high school teacher in suburban…

Feb 17, 2011 12:38 PM CST

Villanova Says Inaccurate LSAT and GPA Data Were ‘Knowingly Reported’ to the ABA in Prior Years

Updated: The new dean of Villanova University School of Law has informed the law school community in a letter that unidentified individuals at the school “knowingly reported” inaccurate admissions data to the American Bar Association for years prior to 2010. In the letter, Dean John Gotanda says he became aware…

Feb 4, 2011 11:52 PM CST

Oxford Grad Blames UK Law School for Failing NY Bar Exam, Sues for $162K

A graduate of Oriel College at the renowned University of Oxford blames her law school for her failure to pass both the New York state bar exam and comparable tests in the United Kingdom that would have qualified her to work as a solicitor there, the Daily Mail reported. Now…

Feb 2, 2011 10:58 AM CST

Spitball-Equivalent Incident Gets Boy, 14, Expelled From High School and Criminally Charged

Bored, a 14-year-old Virginia high school student admittedly did a dumb thing in the cafeteria during lunch period. He blew small plastic pellets at fellow students through a plastic pen tube, striking three. “They flinched. They looked annoyed,” Andrew Mikel II told the Washington Post. Now the Spotsylvania High School…

Feb 2, 2011 1:42 AM CST

Lesbian Teens Allowed to Appear as Couple at Pep Fest; Suit Is Settled a Day After Filing

Two lesbian teens in Minnesota will be allowed to walk together at their high school’s Snow Days Pep Fest as a result of a mediation session presided over by a federal judge. Sarah Lindstrom and Desiree Shelton had been elected to the royalty court for the fest at Champlin Park…

Jan 31, 2011 3:42 PM CST