Accomodating the Needs of Designated Students

Educational leaders must be well informed of the laws that oversee the function and management of educational institutions. Increasingly, educational leaders will need to implement good judgment in creating reasonable and legally defendable decisions that concern students (Essex, 2002). Educational leaders will also need to direct the development and implementation of reliable and well-developed policies, rules, and regulations pertaining to students (Essex, 2002, Lometa, 2000).

The Bill of Rights characterizes an essential foundation of individual rights and freedoms given to individuals under the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution imparts an outline of law in which governmental processes function and is thus a principal source of law (Essex, 2002). Although the Constitution does not refer to education, the Constitution and Supreme Court decisions, do influence the function and management of educational organizations, predominantly with respect to amendments, that safeguard the individual rights of students (Essex, 2002). School administrators have a responsibility to develop an appreciation for the significance of landmark cases and be able to recognize similar patterns of fact that one may encounter in an educational setting (Lometa, 2000).

The following treatise will identify landmark cases in the areas of student code of conduct, exceptional needs, and First Amendment rights, the impact of these cases on contemporary education will also be explained. In addition, this treatise will include the school's responsibility to accommodate the needs of designated students as well as how these accommodations negatively affect the learning environment.

Landmark Cases concerning Student Code of Conduct