Course Description
Review of significant laws governing schools and applicable
standards of professional ethics. Students study and discuss
the most significant federal and state laws governing schools,
students, and educators, applicable standards of professional
ethics, and learn essential law-related research skills.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be assigned additional and more advanced
readings and research assignments. All students, undergraduate
and graduate, will receive instruction in essential principles
of legal research and write a paper on an education law-related
subject selected by the student. Graduate students, however,
will be expected to complete additional readings drawn from
relevant law review articles, and produce a research paper that
reflects graduate level research and writing skills. Further,
on the final exam, graduate students will be given a separate
essay question, in which they will be expected to not only
accurately apply the law based on the hypothetical facts,
reaching the correct result based on the law, but also provide
an analysis of the scenario that reflects a graduate level
understanding of the relevant law and ethical principles.
Athena Title
Ed Law and Professional Ethics
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in EDAP 4170E or EDAP 6170E
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- Students will study the U.S. governance system and the role of law in education.
- Students will study the relationship between the individual and the state.
- Students will study applicable federal and state constitutional provisions, statutes, regulations, and case law.
- Students will explore the application of these laws in schools.
- Students will study applicable standards of professional ethics for educators.
- Students will explore the application of these standards through case scenarios and current events.
- Students will learn basic methods of law-related research.
- Students will demonstrate and be able to appropriately apply, in context, the most significant federal and state constitutional provisions, statutes, regulations, and case law decisions governing education.
- Students will demonstrate and be able to appropriately apply in context applicable standards of professional ethics for educators.
- Students will acquire a greater knowledge of the important role law and professional ethics play in advancing education, democracy, diversity, and social progress.
- Students will acquire essential law-related research skills so that students will be able to find their own answers to basic law-related questions in the future.
Topical Outline
- 1) Governance theory, structures, and the legal system.
- 2) The legal relationship between the individual and the state.
- 3) Church-State law.
- 4) Free speech law.
- 5) Due process law and student discipline.
- 6) Grading policies, FERPA, and open records laws.
- 7) Juvenile laws, custody, compulsory attendance, and delinquency.
- 8) Mandatory reporting statutes for child abuse and neglect.
- 9) Search and seizure law.
- 10) Equal protection of the laws and equity issues.
- 11) Special education law.
- 12) Contract law.
- 13) Tort law.
- 14) Teacher tenure and fair dismissal law.
- 15) Employment discrimination law.
- 16) Free speech law governing public educators.
- 17) Legal boundaries re: Teachers' private and public lives.
- 18) Principles of professional responsibility and ethics.
- 19) Professional confidentiality.
- 20) Professional codes, including the PSC Code of Conduct.
