School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Educational Leaders

by Nathan L. Essex

An essential, practical, hands-on resource for school leaders, policymakers, and other educational personnel, this practical, clear, and easy-to-understand guide looks at both the historical background and the contemporary legal issues that affect virtually every aspect of schools today. The new Sixth Edition of "School Law and the Public Schools" by Nathan Essex brings readers the latest information on today's most critical issues, among them: recent rulings on religion in public schools, social media, Facebook and Twitter challenges, virtual charter schools, administrators' authority at bus stops, legal aspects of teachers and administrators' evaluation, teacher performance and misconduct, 504 Rehabilitation plans, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act, violence and tragedy in U.S. schools, procedures for evaluating and responding to threats, natural disasters and school safety, proposed changes to No Child Left Behind by the White House, and the use of chaperones for field trips. Numerous application exercises and case studies give the concepts real-life meaning, and illustrative tables and figures further reinforce and amplify the ideas.

Genres: Education, Law, Professional Development

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Rachel Robins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, textbooks are usually snoozers. This one is still heavy, but really interesting. Really good real-life examples, nice formatting with titles and organization. The case studies at the end of the chapter could be confusing. This was used in a graduate class and was surprisingly readable. For a textbook, I was kind of impressed.

[Tricia Donley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first “textbook” I’ve ever read cover to cover. While I was dreading reading this beast back in January, I’ve gained an appreciation for school law. I also had my eyes (incredibly) widened in regards to understanding what our district administrators go through on a daily basis. 😳 It is...a lot! While the text is a little dry, I learned so much reading it!

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dense and repetitive

[Jennifer Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book for a higher ed course, but many of the principals were applicable. A good resource for better understanding what it takes to be an educational leader.

[Brian Tague · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good case studies and examination on laws in regards to the world of education.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information, but some of the verbiage needs to be updated.

[Erin King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most exciting read, but the content was good and understandable.

[Brandy Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Required reading for grade school. Good information but kind of boring. Very Textbook.

[Kayla Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did a great job of touching on some of the most important cases affecting the rights and freedoms in American public school systems. Great read.

[Vincent J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad...more recent edition is needed!

[JuJu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly readable for a book about the law. I would recommend it for any teacher or administrator.

[Craig Statucki · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I found the information useful in the book, I do have an issue with the case studies at the end of each chapter. They either did not provide enough information to make a reasonable argument for either side of the question or they were economically biased. Many cases used in a poor urban district or a wealthy suburban district when the financial status of the school or district was not relevant to the case. Students and educators should have the same rights regardless of their economic status. I am not sure if the author tried to imply that the rights of students or educators are different depending on the school district or just trying to trick the reader/student into answering based on financial status. Either way, it was not necessary.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

A serviceable introduction to school law for non-lawyers, but lawyers should steer clear. Essex's writing style consists of obscuring the ultimate holding of cases and failing to provide citations to cases in the text itself. I emerged from this book with a deeper appreciation for the value of a clear, concise topic sentence.

[Heather Fidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering this was a textbook for a grad school class, I honestly enjoyed reading it! This is not necessarily read in linear order, but based upon need. I will most likely find many of its lessons, particular those about teacher and student freedoms and responsibilities in the eyes of the law, useful for years to come.

[Becca Kirkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a textbook for my School Law class but I actually read the entire thing. It really opened my eyes to all the law behind schools. There are interesting cases. I wouldn't recommend reading it for fun but if you a teacher, it is a good reference book.

[Jennifer Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. I didn't like the organization very well, though. They would often mention court cases early on in a chapter, but not talk about the actual case until later in the chapter or book. That was a little confusing.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a grad school read. Overall, I liked it, even though legal issues aren't my passion. I thought the explanations were clear & I appreciated the example case studies to practice what I had just read.

[Eileen Lennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from book. I mostly learned that I don't think I want to be an administrator anymore.

[Felicity Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide of school law!