U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Courts and School Policies

NCJ Number
105714
Author(s)
H S Lufler
Date Published
1986
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews research into school compliance with U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
Abstract
Early impact studies of such issues as school prayer found that school personnel had incomplete knowledge of decision requirements and that a variety of factors, including attitudes toward the court and the decisions, the bureaucracy, and third-party efforts, influenced the degree of compliance. Later research into compliance with decisions relating to student rights and school discipline indicate that legal commentators were influential in shaping knowledge of and reactions to decisions. In general, legal knowledge of school administrators was more accurate then that of teachers, although significant percentages of all respondents were unfamiliar with basic elements of decisions. In general, teachers had better knowledge in areas of personal responsibility, such as discipline and school attendance, and less in areas such as children's legal rights. Respondents often overestimated the extent of children's rights, felt that decisions imposed restraints on their actions, but were not significantly worried about possible litigation. Finally, a 1985 study showed 99-percent compliance with presuspension hearing requirements. 55 footnotes and 58 references.