Resources

Resources

• The Legal System [PDF 3,754,254kb]
  First chapter from the NSBA publication, Understanding and Limiting School Board Member Liability. The chapter provides a great description of how the legal system is connected to education.
  
• FLSA Litigation: Coming Soon to a School District Near You [PDF 43,654kb]
  School districts in the south have been sued recently under the FLSA at an alarming rate. This article discusses what portions of the FLSA districts have violated and what districts can do to avoid liabilities.
  
• Teacher Liability Protection Act [HTML 6,929kb]
  A summary of the Federal Teacher Protection Act of 2001, which protects school board members and school employees from individual liability for actions related to student discipline.
  
• Over Ruled: The Burden of Law on America's Public Schools
  A new study by Common Good has collected all the laws and regulations governing a typical public high school in New York City. Take a look at Over Ruled, an entertaining web interface that illustrates the burden of law on public schools nationwide.
  
• A Guide to the U.S. Courts and Legal System
  A quick guide to the United States Legal System by Findlaw.com.
  
• American Tort Reform Association
  The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is a broad based, bipartisan coalition of more than 300 businesses, corporations, municipalities, associations, and professional firms who support civil justice reform.
  
• Common Good on Schools
  Common Good is a bipartisan initiative dedicated to “reforming America’s Lawsuit culture.” It has launched an effort to bring attention to how fear of lawsuits and overregulation can interfere with common sense educational decisions by public school boards, school administrators, and educators.
  
• Federal Courts
• Federal Register
• Overlawyered.com
  Overlawyered.com is a website devoted to "chronicling the high cost of our legal system" and "documenting the need for reform of the American civil justice system." The site includes a section on schools and institutions of higher education.
  
• Understanding and Limiting School Board Member Liability
  This NSBA Council of School Attorneys publication, now in its fourth edition, serves as primer for both school board members and school attorneys on board member liability issues. Using layman's terms, this version expands beyond the focus of former editions on Section 1983 liability to include explanations of how our legal system works, board member liability under state tort law, legal defenses and immunities against liability and a special section on how to avoid and minimize board member liability. Each chapter is followed by checklists to help readers review and remember key points. 90 pages. Order No. 06-187-W. ISBN 0-88364-261-1(List $15.00, National Affiliates and Council Members $12.00)
  
• United States Circuit Court of Appeals Map