COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Prefix/Number: EDA 6232
Course Title: Law and Education
Course Credit Hours: 3
Instructor Name and Contact Information:
Dr. Sherri Zimmerman
Building 4, Office 456
Fort Walton Beach Campus
850-863-0730
Office Hours: Thursday 12-5
Virtual Hours: Monday 10-3
Email: szimmerman@uwf.edu
Prerequisites or Co-Requisites: None
Course Description: This course is designed to provide certain knowledge,
understanding, appreciation, and skill that will enable administrators to deal with
problems encountered in administration in a lawful manner. The course explores law
and its relationship to education, Constitutional law, legislative enactment, judicial
law, school policies, and their relationships as they pertain to school administration.
Tort liability, due process, corporal punishments, collective bargaining and
negotiations, teacher contracts, and other law relating to authority and responsibility
of teachers and administrators are included.
Goals: Upon completion of the course, students will develop an awareness and
understanding of the applicable sources of law, the relationships that exist between
these sources, and their applicability to public education. Students will also be able
to identify tort liability as it pertains to the operation of public schools, more
specifically law that pertains to student rights and school authority, the relationship
between church and state, and the terms and conditions, rights and responsibilities
of public school employment.
About this Course: This course is delivered completely online. You must have
consistent access to the Internet.
Learning at a distance may be a very different environment for many of you. You will
generally set your own schedules, participate in class activities at your convenience,
and work at your own pace. You may spend some additional time online during the
first few weeks while you become acclimated to the online class format and you may
feel overwhelmed. You should also be prepared to spend approximately 6 - 8 hours
per week online completing lessons, activities, and participating in class discussions.
Finally, you may want to incorporate these tips to help you get started:
Set a schedule -- check the course web site early in the class week to see
what tasks you'll need to work on for the week.
Become very familiar with the site and how to use it. It is a tool to help you
learn!
Team up with your classmates to discuss class assignments and questions
you might have. Check the “Classlist” located in Desire2Learn for biography
info and email addresses.
Ask questions when you need answers. If you have problems, contact your
instructor ASAP! I will help you come up with a solution!
Topics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Foundations of Educational Law
Due Process and Freedom of Speech
Religion and Racial Segregation
Student publications, search and seizure, and student discipline
Sex discrimination and education of disabled children
Civil liability, student records, and testing
Rights & Responsibilities of Employees
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Foundations of Educational Law
a. Articulate the source of authority for the conduct of public schools.
b. Identify the U. S. Constitutional provisions having greatest applicability
to public education, (i.e., 1st, 4th, 5th, 10th, 14th and Article I, Section
10) and will be able to give examples of applicable cases.
c. Give an example of the role of Federal Legislation in the development
and control of public education.
d. Differentiate the roles of state and federal legislatures in the
development and control of public education.
e. State the role of local policy and understand the relationship of local
policy to other law relative to education.
f. Understand the operation of the court system in the educational
process and be able to differentiate the federal and state system.
g. Identify the statutory powers and duties of Florida’s State Board of
Education, Commissioner of Education, Local School Boards,
Superintendents, and Principals.
h. Identify statutory standards for minimum competencies, compulsory
school attendance, curriculum, facilities, and finance.
i. Identify circumstances wherein schools have liability for what happens
to students.
j. Understand the role of negligence in tort liability.
k. Give examples of cases leading to liability and non-liability.
l. Understand the Florida compulsory attendance law.
m. Understand the principles of the child benefit theory.
n. Identify state statutory provisions relating to finance of public schools.
2. Tort Liability
a. Specify activities with unusually high liability risk and indicate
appropriate measures taken to insure student safety and minimize
adult liability.
b. Demonstrate understanding of federal constitutional provisions relating
to student rights and school authority.
c. Identify circumstances wherein schools have liability for what happens
to students.
d. Demonstrate an understanding of first, fourth and fourteenth
amendment rights of teachers and students.
e. Understand the role of negligence in tort liability.
f. Give examples of cases leading to liability and non-liability.
3. Student Rights
a. Specify activities with unusually high liability risk and indicate
appropriate measures taken to insure student safety and minimize
adult liability.
b. Discuss the merit of such documentation as permission slips, written
rules for behavior in the classroom, hallways, bathrooms, lunchroom,
field trips and school lessons.
c. Identify circumstances wherein schools have liability for what happens
to students.
d. Understand the role of negligence in tort liability.
e. Give examples of cases leading to liability and non-liability.
f. Demonstrate understanding of federal constitutional provisions relating
to student rights and school authority.
g. Demonstrate an understanding of first, fourth and fourteenth
amendment rights of teachers and students.
h. Understand the principles of the child benefit theory.
4. Public Disclosure & Testing
a. Identify statutory standards for minimum competencies, compulsory
school attendance, curriculum, facilities, and finance.
b. Identify standards and procedures of Florida Administrative law,
including public disclosure and record keeping.
c. Identify circumstances wherein schools have liability for what happens
to students.
d. Specify activities with unusually high liability risk and indicate
appropriate measures taken to insure student safety and minimize
adult liability.
e. Understand the role of negligence in tort liability.
f. Give examples of cases leading to liability and non-liability.
g. Demonstrate an understanding of first, fourth and fourteenth
amendment rights of teachers and students.
h. Demonstrate an understanding of Florida administrative law relative to
public disclosure and record keeping.
5. Terms & Conditions of Employment and Rights and Responsibilities of
Employees
a. Identify state statutory criteria applicable to certification, selection,
evaluation, dismissal, reprimand, and non-renewal of professional
employees.
b. Identify circumstances wherein employees have liability for what
happens to students.
c. Specify activities with unusually high liability risk and indicate
appropriate measures taken to insure student safety and minimize
adult liability.
d. Understand the role of negligence in tort liability.
e. Give examples of cases leading to liability and non-liability.
f. Demonstrate an understanding of first, fourth and fourteenth
amendment rights of teachers and students.
6. Discrimination
a. Identify circumstances wherein schools and their employees have
liability for what happens to students.
b. Understand the role of negligence in tort liability.
c. Give examples of cases leading to liability and non-liability.
d. Demonstrate understanding of federal constitutional provisions relating
to student rights and school authority.
e. Demonstrate an understanding of first, fourth and fourteenth
amendment rights of teachers and students.
f. Articulate the principles of separation of church and state and its
application to public schools, and understand rulings relative to prayer
and bible reading in public schools.
Texts:
Required texts: Alexander, K. & Alexander, D. M. (2003). The law of
schools, students & teachers in a nutshell (3rd Ed).
Required Materials:
Internet Access
E-mail Account
Grading / Evaluation:
The course grade will be determined as follows:
Drop-box Assignments
Threaded Discussions
Final Exam
300 points (50 each)
90 points (10 each)
110 points
500-475
A
474-450
A449-425
B
424-399
B398-373
C
372 and below F
Program Goals:
Successful completion of the MSA will enable students to:
Provide leadership in mid-level programs in public, non-profit, and private
agencies in their selected fields.
Provide budgeting, planning, and analysis in their selected fields.
Provide efficient administration of human resources in their selected fields.
Provide leadership in marketing of their programs and products.
Apply modern technology to business applications in their agency.
Evaluate their organization and apply appropriate intervention strategies.
References/Bibliography:
Florida School Laws. (2006-07). Reprinted from 2004 Florida Statutes (2006 ed.).
Florida Department of Education and LexisNexis: Author.
Special Technology Utilized by Students: This course is totally online. All
instructional content and interaction takes place over the WWW. In addition to
baseline word processing skills and sending/receiving email with attachments,
students will be expected to search the internet and upload / download files. In
addition, students may need one or more of the following plug-ins:
Adobe Acrobat Reader:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
PowerPoint Viewer:
http://microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D1649C22-B51F4910-93FC-4CF2832D3342&displaylang=en
Windows Media Player:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/
Quicktime Player: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
Real Player:
http://forms.real.com/netzip/getrde601.html?h=207.188.7.150&f=windows/R
ealOnePlayerV2GOLD.exe&p=RealOne+Player&oem=dl&tagtype=ie&type=dl
Macromedia Flash Player:
http://macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Versio
n=ShockwaveFlash
Expectations for Academic Conduct/Plagiarism Policy:
Academic Conduct Policy: (Web Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)
Plagiarism Policy: (Word Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)
Student Handbook: (PDF Format)