Pittsburg State University
Schools of Education
Department of Special Services and Educational Leadership
Spring-2009
Course: SSLS 809 Legal Foundations of Public Education (3 hours credit)
Class sessions:
Wednesday, 5:00-7:00
Location:
Hughes Hall 211
Instructor:
James C. Christman, Ed. D.
Office Phone:
(620) 235-4068
E-mail:
jchristm@pittstate.edu
Fax:
(620) 235-4520
Office hours:
M-F - 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
By appointment
Course Purpose/Objectives
SSLS 809 Legal Foundations of Public Education is a graduate course specifically designed to
provide administrators with the skills and basic legal knowledge necessary to provide
leadership and manage the variety of functions of a school building/district.
Through this class instruction, readings, and independent research, students will obtain
information to assist them in the following:
CORE LEADERSHIP OBJECTIVES
1-4
1-9
1-13
2-4
3-3
3-4
4-1
4-5
7-2
8-1
Maintain personal, physical, and emotional wellness.
Manage time effectively.
Promote the value of understanding and celebrating school/community cultures.
Relate local policy to state and federal regulations and requirements.
Understand and be able to communicate with all cultural groups in the community
Demonstrate that good judgment and actions communicate as well as words.
Define process for gathering, analyzing, and using data for informed decision-making.
Discuss legal concepts, regulations, and codes for school operations.
Demonstrate knowledge of adult learning theory and motivation.
Exhibit multicultural ethnic understanding and sensitivity.
POLICY AND GOVERANCE
Indicators: An administrator should know and be able to:
2-1
Describe the system of public school governance in our democracy.
2-2
Describe procedures for building administrator-staff interpersonal and working
relationships.
2-4
2-5
2-6
Formulate a district policy for external and internal programs.
Relate local policy to state and federal regulations and requirements.
Describe procedures to avoid civil and criminal liabilities.
Instructional Resources
Required Texts for SSLS 809 Legal Foundations of Public Education:
Essex, N. L. (2008). School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for
Educational Leaders. (fourth edition) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. (second edition)
Other resources you will need
Throughout this course we will use computer technology to support your learning
experiences. You will need access to a computer with the following capabilities:
 Internet connection
 Internet browser, either Netscape or Explorer
 Microsoft Word
 Microsoft Excel
 Microsoft Powerpoint
You also need an active e-mail address that you can check daily and that can handle
uploading files and downloading files.
You will also need a PSU ID number so that you can access ANGEL
Off Campus Library Access
You can now access from off-campus the Axe Library databases. Yo9u will need your PSU
ID# and GUS PIN (Personal Identification Number) that you can get at Kelce Hall by
contacting 620-235-4603.
To use these services:
1) Go to the Axe Library home page http://library.pittstate.edu and choose the Library
Databases selection. I suggest that you look at the list by Titles so you can make you
selection.
2) If you choose a licensed database, you need to supply you PSU ID# and your GUS
PIN when requested.
3) Then proceed as normal in using the database.
If you have any questions, please contact the Reference Desk at 620-235-4894.
Also the Axe Library home page has a handy connection to a wide array of search engines.
You may want to book mark the Axe home page.
Teaching Strategies
Teaching strategies will include class discussion, lectures, short writing projects, cooperative
learning experiences, literature and publications review, case studies, team projects, and written
projects. This class will also use Blackboard.com as a tool to augment the class sessions.
Attendance
Attendance and class participation are expected of all class members. Attendance accounts for 25%
of your final grade. Should you miss class, the instructor will assign an outside project.
The activities and discussions during class constitute a crucial part of the course. Therefore, you
should make every effort to attend class and arrive on time. However, if circumstances dictate that
you must miss a class, please inform the instructor beforehand and make arrangements with another
student to get the handouts and share class notes with you. Also, you need check with you
instructor to obtain you make up assignment. Please be aware that excessive absences may result in
you not getting credit for the course.
Inclement Weather
On rare occasions due to inclement weather, the instructor may cancel class. The SSLS Office
(620-235-4484) will make every effort to contact you via email or a telephone message at your
home or place of employment to let you know that your class has been canceled. You should also
check the Pitt State Website.
Course Requirements/Content/Evaluation
SSLS 809 Foundations of Public Education
Our work for SSLS 809 will focus on five main areas of school law:
 Due process,
 Rights and freedoms of students,
 Rights and freedoms of employees,
 School and school district liability,
 Professional, legal, and ethical decision-making by school administrators.
EVALUATION:
Students will be assessed in relation to course objectives through multiple indicators.
Observations by the instructor of participant’s active involvement in class will account for twentyfive percent (25%) of the final grade. Positive participation is required. Negative comments to
other class members and rude behavior such as talking with others while the instructor or other
class members are talking will result in lowering your grade. Points will be assigned according to
the instructor’s judgment.
Performance over the required readings and subsequent position paper, performance on the
written and oral projects and exams, as well as the periodical and / or case study review will
account for the remaining seventy-five percent (75%) of the final grade.
Paper/Presentation
A) Select two (2) court cases and present them to the class with handouts
B) Select a legal topic of interest to you, and develop a case (pro or con) regarding the issue
and present it to the class.
C) Select a chapter from the textbook for presentation to the class
Class Schedule
January
21
February
4
18
25
March
4
11
25
April
1
8
15
22
29
May
13
Web Sites of Assistance
Check ANGEL periodically for additions.
Kansas Association of School Boards, Cynthia Kelly, Editor. School Law Handbook. Topeka,
Kansas.
Web Site Sources
http://www.ink.org/public/usa
School Administrators of Kansas
http://www.ink.org/public/kasb/
Kansas School Board Association
http://www.aasa.org/
American Association of School Administrators
http://www.Usatoday.com/news/court/nscot000.htm
USA Today Supreme Court
http://www.ksb.state.ks.us/Welcome.html
Kansas Laws and regulations
http://services.dese.state.mo.us/schoollaw/public/
Missouri State Department of Education Laws
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/kansas/KSL/Ref/GovDocs/Kan/State_Const/ks_const.html
Kansas Constitution
Special Education Resources on the Net
http://www.hood.edu/seri/serihome/htm
National Education Association
http://www.nea.org/
Internet Legal Resource Guide
http://www.ilrg.com/
Our OverLawyered Schools
http://www.overlawyered.com/topics/schools/html
Washburn Law Site
http://www/washburn/edu/
Council of School Attorneys
http://www.nsba.org/cosa/United
Missouri School Board Association
http://www.msbanet.org/
Oklahoma State School Boards Association
http://www.ossba.org/
Dishonesty in Academic Work
Academic Misconduct
Education at the university level requires intellectual integrity and trust between faculty and
students. Professors are obliged to master their subject and present as fair an account of it as
possible. For their part, students are obligated to course requirements. Academic dishonesty
violates both integrity and trust. It jeopardized the effectiveness of the educational process and the
reliability of publicly reported records of achievement.
Academic dishonesty by a student is defined as unethical activity associated with course work
or grades.
It includes, but not limited to:
(a) Giving or receiving unauthorized aid on examinations,
(b) Giving or receiving unauthorized aid in the preparation of notebooks,
themes, reports, paper or any other assignments,
(c) Submitting the same work for more than once course without the instructor’s
permission, and,
(d) Plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as using ideas or writings of another and claiming
them as one’s own. Copying any material directly (be it the work of other
students, professors, or colleagues) or copying information from print or
electronic sources (including the internet) without explicitly acknowledging the
true source of the material is plagiarism, students should follow the citation
directions provided by the instructor and/or department in which the class is
offered.
Unless otherwise stated by the instructor, exams, quizzes, and out-of-class assignments are
meant to be individual, rather than group, work. Hence, copying from other students’ quizzes or
exams as well as presenting as one’s work an assignment prepared wholly or in part by another is in
violation of academic honesty.
The above guidelines do not preclude group study for exams, sharing of sources for research
projects, or students discussing their ideas with other members of the class unless explicitly
prohibited by the instructor.
Since the violation of academic honesty strikes at the heart of the educational process, it is
subject to the severest sanctions, up to and including receiving an “F” or “XF” (an “XF” indicates
the “F” was the result of academic dishonesty) for the entire class and dismissal from the university.
When an instructor has a reasonable good faith belief that a student(s) has committed academic
misconduct, that instructor has the sole discretion to give the student an F on the assignment/test to
which the student committed academic misconduct or an F for the entire course. If such an F
negatively affects the student’s final grade in the course, that student(s) may appeal the final grade
pursuant to the current Pittsburg State University Catalog’s Grade Appeal process.
When the instructor wishes to impose an “XF”, and/or more severe sanctions, he or she must
first notify their department chair, dean, and University’s Academic Honesty Committee
Chairperson in writing. In addition, the same procedure applies if similar sanctions seem warranted
for a student(s) or former student(s) who have assisted in a serious act of academic dishonesty.