The Most Important Law That Educators Must Follow
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution states that no State (or school) can, "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." I'm sure you are asking, how does that affect me as an educator? Well, teachers and administrators are arms of the State at the Supreme Court requires us to afford "due process" to students.
Justices ruled in Goss v. Lopez that students have a property interest in their education. Therefore, if the state is to take away that property interest - expulsion, suspension, or other discipline that removes students from learning - then they must be provided the opportunity to defend themselves. Also, students must be provided the opportunity to follow a procedure of discipline. During your career, keep this in mind and be sure that your school and classroom discipline procedure follows the 14th amendment.
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