Plaintiffs in a Nebraska suit that called into question the right of students to wear an “RIP” T-shirt have decided not to appeal their case.District Judge Laurie Smith Camp wrote in a directed verdict last month that no “reasonable jury” could rule against the Millard County School District in a First Amendment lawsuit brought by three former students.A trial jury had ruled in early April that the school district acted reasonably when it suspended Dan and Nick Kuhr in 2008 for wearing T-shirts which read “Julius RIP.”The T-shirts were in remembrance of Julius Robinson, who was shot in front of an apartment complex in what was believed to be an act of gang violence.The school district suspended the Kuhrs, arguing that the T-shirts — as well as an accompanying bracelet — had the potential to cause a substantial disruption in school.Though the jury ruled against Dan and Nick Kuhr, it did not find in favor of either party for a third plaintiff, Cassie Kuhr.
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TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: You can’t yell ‘fire’ in a crowded dorm — but you can yell ‘where’s your fire safety inspection report?’
State inspectors recently wrote up Northern Illinois University for seven "severe" safety violations in a classroom/office building, including failure to label potentially hazardous chemicals or to make sure emergency lights worked properly.It was, a state Department of Labor official told the Northern Star newspaper, the first time in 11 years that the department had gotten around to visiting NIU.That sounds pretty slack, but in reality, a once-a-decade visit from independent inspectors still is more attention than a lot of college buildings receive.An Iowa City man is suing the University of Iowa, alleging that the university and its property management company failed to repair water leaks in his campus apartment, resulting in mold that made him seriously ill.
Tenn. adviser removed after yearbook publishes profile of gay student
A journalism adviser who wasat the center of a controversy surrounding a yearbook article about an openlygay student has been reassigned.
Ind. students, school settle ‘penis pops’ online speech case without money damages
A pair of Indiana students will not receive money damages from the school district that punished them for Facebook photos, despite a judge ruling in their favor.The students have settled their free speech lawsuit against the Smith-Green Community School Corporation. Under the settlement, the students will not receive damages or attorney’s fees, but the school corporation is prohibited from enforcing provisions in its student handbook that allowed the students to be punished after posting pictures of themselves with penis-shaped lollipops.The school corporation can no longer enforce provisions that allow students to be removed from extracurricular activities because the students act “in a manner in school or out of school that brings discredit or dishonor upon [the students] or [the] school,” Judge Philip Simon wrote in a final judgment issued Tuesday.The order makes permanent an injunction from August, and comes nearly three years after two 10th-grade girls were suspended from the Churubusco High School volleyball team and other extracurricular activities after posing with the “phallic-shaped rainbow colored lollipops.”In Simon's earlier ruling, he found the students had engaged in protected speech when they posted the photos at home on their own time.
Louisiana bullying frenzy — violating the First Amendment, or just trying to?
In the waning days of their 2012 session, Louisiana legislators have the unappetizing choice between two anti-bullying bills: One that violates the Constitution, and another that is intended to.To understand how thoroughly cyberbullying hysteria has taken hold of state legislators, consider the disappointed comments of state Rep.
New York legislators propose bill to end anonymity in online comments
A bill pending in the New York legislature would require website administrators, upon request of any viewer, to remove anonymous posts from a commenter who will not confirm their full name and home address.
Appeals court tosses Chicago Tribune’s FERPA lawsuit over admissions records
A federal appeals court on Thursday threw out the Chicago Tribune’s public records lawsuit against the University of Illinois, finding that the suit must be brought in state court.
ACLU files new 'boobies' bracelet lawsuit; similar Ind. case settled
TheACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit against Fort Wayne Community Schools on May 18over an “I (Heart) Boobies” breast cancer awareness bracelet.
“Fault Lines” study identifies link between lack of civic education and low participation in voting, volunteering
Yet another national study, this one by Educational Testing Service, is giving failing grades to the way schools prepare young people to participate in civic life."Fault Lines in Our Democracy," issued Wednesday by the Princeton, N.J.-based nonprofit, diagnoses a "disconnect" between what students are taught about American government and what they retain, and concludes that students need not just more lectures about civics but more opportunities for hands-on participation in civic activities.
Maine joins cyberbullying crackdown, but new law has a twist
Maine has become the latest state to give schools jurisdiction over what K-12 students publish online while off-campus, with a new "cyberbullying" law signed by Gov.