WGU D017 School Law – Exam

In what state did Horace Mann begin the Common School Movement? - Answer- Massachusetts Which U.S. Supreme Court decision upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation in public facilities, including schools, that infamously came to be known as "separate but equal"? - Answer- Plessy v. Ferguson Which subgroup of students must schools support when using Title I funding to provide supplemental academic programs? - Answer- Economically disadvantaged students Which amendment of the U.S. Constitution limits the practice of religion in schools? - Answer- First Amendment Which types of meetings are subject to state open meeting laws known as sunshine laws? - Answer- School Board Meetings What are state legislative bodies responsible for? - Answer- Requirements for student graduation Which type of educational law has inuenced how a school district develops their programs for English learners? - Answer- Case law Which school board practice is often used as a means of ensuring or ignoring the ruling that "separate but equal" is unconstitutional? - Answer- School attendance zones Which testing school practice was influenced by Brown v. Board of Education? - Answer- Subgroup data analysis of testing results What would be the purpose of changing school zone boundaries? - Answer- Desegregation of schools Which ruling was violated when students with disabilities were placed in separate schools? - Answer- 14th Amendment What is the motivation for communities seceding from school districts? - Answer- Circumventing integration Which amendment does the Lemon test determine violation of? - Answer- First Amendment Which legal justification is used by some states for the use of public funds to purchase textbooks for students in parochial schools? - Answer- The child benefit theory Which law provides protection to students who choose to kneel during the Pledge of Allegiance? - Answer- First Amendment Which law would allow a student worship club to hold after school meetings on a high school campus, given the school has a limited open forum? - Answer- Equal Access Act A rural elementary school allows a moment of meditation during the first period of the day. Some students engage in a silent prayer during this period. Teachers express concern that this period promotes prayer in school. Based on case law surrounding prayer in schools, how should the administrator respond? - Answer- Continue using the meditation period as is since it is not designed to promote religion. Which action do local authorities have the right to take when states maintain control over curriculum in public schools? - Answer- Provide additions to curriculum beyond those required by the state What did the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lau v. Nichols require of public schools? - Answer- That they provide supplemental language instruction to students with limited English proficiency Which criterion did Castañeda v. Pickard set for educational programs targeting English learners? - Answer- Programs must be based on research. Which U.S. Supreme Court case established that schools must provide supplemental supports to English learners? - Answer- Lau v. Nichols What is the Tinker test often used for? - Answer- To determine a violation of First Amendment rights A group of students wore shirts with political messages displayed on them. The principal received several complaints from parents that evening who demanded they be banned from wearing clothing with political messages that could be viewed as offensive or insensitive to specific groups of students at the school. Which court case ruling should the principal apply in deciding whether to ban students from wearing clothing with political messages? - Answer- Tinker v. Des Moines Which student rights were found to be violated In the landmark case of T.L.O. v. New Jersey? - Answer- Unreasonable search and seizure A high school principal gets an anonymous call that several students at the school are members of rival neighborhood gangs and that tension has severely escalated over the weekend. The individual is afraid that the conflict will carry into school on Monday morning and gun violence could ensue. Since the caller did not provide specific names of students, the principal decided to call the local police department for assistance in searching every student with metal detectors prior to entering the school for the next week. Several parents began calling saying that their child was not involved in any of this and that forcing them to go through a metal detector search was a violation of their Fourth Amendment rights. What response should the principal provide in reaction to the parent complaints? - Answer- The use of metal detectors does not violate student Fourth Amendment rights when the element of danger is adequate and justified. During lunch, an assistant principal is approached by several students stating that they saw another student with a knife in his locker. After searching the student's locker, no knife was found. Considering that student lockers are explicitly stated as the personal property of students in the school's handbook, the student's parents were upset that the search took place and complained that the school violated their child's Fourth Amendment rights. They continued that they believe the assistant principal only searched his locker due to his history of discipline issues and his label as a "problem student." Which assessment of the school's actions is accurate in relation to the student's Fourth Amendment rights? - Answer- The school did not violate the student's Fourth Amendment rights due to reasonable suspicion. When is procedural due process applied during student discipline? - Answer- When the student is made aware of charges During a high-stakes, state mathematics exam, a classroom teacher observed a student looking at the answers of another student. The student glanced back and forth at the screen and changed several answers on the test. What must the school administrator do prior to suspending the student? - Answer- Conduct a thorough investigation of the alleged incident A hearing is scheduled to determine disciplinary action for a student. A notice of the hearing is sent to the student with a description of the charges and the implications of those charges. Which aspect of procedural due process is the notice of the hearing? - Answer- Fairness In a state where corporal punishment of students by school officials is against the law, a parent offers to provide written consent to allow the principal to spank her child in lieu of suspension. The child frequently misbehaves, and the parent is frustrated with the child's misbehavior and cannot afford to continue providing child care when he is suspended or take off work to attend conferences with the principal and teacher. Which response to the parental request is appropriate? - Answer- Notify the parent that corporal punishment is against the law in their state, even if a parent provides consent. Two students at a high school get into a physical fight during lunch, and one student suffered a concussion. As a result of the injury, the principal decides to expel the student who caused the injury for the rest of the semester. The student argues that the injury was not intentional and that he was not the aggressor and only acted in self-defense. What is the appropriate next step given the length of the proposed expulsion and the student's defense claim? - Answer- Formal hearing A local high school junior disclosed to her counselor that a peer had been sending her vulgar and inappropriate texts via a messenger application. She reported that the texts included cruel references to her appearance and specifically stated various things that would happen if she shared this information with others. What is the appropriate action for the counselor to take? - Answer- Inform administration and begin the formal cyberbullying investigation process A student at a large high school shared with the assistant principal several posts on social media by another student. The posts used derogatory comments about the student's sexual orientation and appearance. After reviewing the posts, the assistant principal did not follow through with an investigation into the incidents. How does Title IX define the assistant principal's response? - Answer- Deliberate indifference A parent questions the contents of a student's educational record. While at the school, the parent is asked to sign a document requesting access to all documents. At that time, the parent is notified that the principal, assistant principal, and school psychologist have access to the records. The parents can see the records have been signed out on three different occasions with only the date and time of access. The parent asks for a hearing to challenge the material in the record. Which aspect of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) has been violated in this scenario? - Answer- Access to student records must be identified by title of staff members Using a key to grade student final exams, a teacher records the grades into a gradebook. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the student and parents make requests to view the information in the final exam key, gradebook, and teacher evaluation. Based on FERPA, which item is accessible to the parent? - Answer- Grades for their own child Which complaints must an administrator swiftly address related to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972? - Answer- High school coach inappropriately touching players A student refuses to change in the locker room before physical education class with other students and reveals to school administration that the discomfort stems from not identifying as the same gender of the students in that locker room. According to federal administrative guidance, which action could the administrator take to remedy the situation? - Answer- Provide an alternative location for the student to change A transgender student approaches the school principal with a complaint. All teachers refer to the student using the preferred pronoun except for one. The student expresses that this is a Title IX issue and insists the teacher be removed from her position. Based on this scenario, what might the principal do next? - Answer- Confirm the teacher understands which pronoun to use Applicants are asked to provide their religious affiliation during an organization's interview process. When is this application question permissible? - Answer- When the organization is a private religious organization A staff member wears a large gold cross around her neck. The principal considers whether the cross should be allowed to be worn at school. What threshold might the principal consider with regard to the necklace? - Answer- If the cross promotes a particular belief A small suburban school district allows multiple student after school activities, including sports and academic clubs. Because the school does not have the minimum number of athletes to compete, the teams are strictly intramural. The school requires drug testing of all participants in these activities. Under what parameters is this drug testing allowed under federal privacy laws? - Answer- All extracurricular activities can be subject to drug testing. A second-year teacher in a small, rural school district continues to struggle with classroom management. The principal has provided ongoing feedback to this teacher regarding deficiencies and has completed both informal and formal evaluations. After the most recent evaluation, the teacher has earned an "ineffective" rating, which is the lowest on the district's scale. What must the principal do prior to non-renewal of the teacher's contract? - Answer- Provide an opportunity to create an improvement plan and document steps the teacher has completed to remedy the deficiencies. An employee adopts a child and requests FMLA to be used at the end of one school year and the beginning of the next. What is the best legal action for administration based on this scenario? - Answer- Approve the leave based on FMLA A teacher, who is an open lesbian, repeatedly applied for assistant principal positions within her school district only to be passed over for other candidates. The teacher led a discrimination complaint against the school district claiming she did not receive a position due to her sexual orientation. What is the legal basis for the teacher's complaint? - Answer- Equal Protection Clause In a small conservative school district, it was discovered that a recently hired teacher at the elementary school identifies herself as transgender and is planning to soon undergo a medical sex change. Once the school board heard this, they moved to terminate the teacher and cited immorality as the cause as her presence and openness with her sexual identity is an endangerment to her students. Which equal protection under the law is the teacher being denied? - Answer- Protection against sex discrimination A school district is facing severe budget cuts for the upcoming school year. As part of their cost saving measures, the school board voted to implement a 3% reduction in instructional staff. Each elementary school was provided with criteria for reduction based on a formula of teacher performance on the district's evaluation tool. What is the administrator's first responsibility in this process? - Answer- To follow the school board policy for identifying faculty for termination The principal sends an email to a staff member directing that member to attend a meeting to discuss parent concerns and classroom management issues. The teacher does not attend the meeting. What must the principal prove to charge the teacher with insubordination? - Answer- That the directive was received and understood A high school principal receives a report from several students that they witnessed two teachers engaged in sexual conduct at school during school hours. Which action will the principal have to perform before recommending termination of the teachers to the school board? - Answer- Conduct an investigation that provides due process to the teachers. A middle school assistant principal is known for frequently hugging teachers, students, and parents as well as putting his arm around their shoulders and standing in close proximity during conversations. He has served as assistant principal at the school for many years, was a teacher in the school district prior to, and grew up in the community, so everyone knows him and dismisses these behaviors as part of his personality. A newly hired teacher at the school feels very uncomfortable when the assistant principal acts this way towards her. She makes this very clear to him and asks him to no longer touch or hug her. The assistant principal dismisses the teacher's concern and request as her just not being familiar enough with him yet and continues to hug and touch her, just as he does everyone else. Which type of liability is the assistant principal subjecting himself to in this situation? - Answer- Intentional tort liability Several athletes on the girls' volleyball team have reported to the principal that their male coach may be having an inappropriate relationship with one of the players. The season is almost over, and the volleyball team is considered a favorite to win the state championship. As a result, when the principal brought these reports to the attention of the superintendent, it was decided to wait until the end of the season to launch an investigation to address this matter. What legal jeopardy is the school system exposed to from this decision? - Answer- Negligence tort liability While conducting a hands-on science lab with seventh-grade students, the teacher receives a personal phone call. The teacher quickly stepped out of the classroom to chat briefly on the phone and asked an honor's student to watch the class. In the short period while the teacher was in the hallway, two students held paper towels to the Bunsen burners, causing a re on the tabletop. In the process, the students suffered intense burns on their palms. Why could the teacher be found negligent in this situation? - Answer- The actions of the students were foreseeable. Two students at a middle school started a rumor online that their teacher had been inappropriately touching students at their school. The rumor spread quickly, and the teacher was nicknamed, "Mr. Creepy" on various social media. After a thorough investigation, the teacher was cleared of any allegations; however, he resigned from his position at the middle school due to the ordeal. Which type of tort liability could result from the girls' actions? - Answer- Defamation tort liability Which legal document spells out any changes to the curriculum, assistive technology, additional time on tests, classroom accommodations, or additional staff needed to meet the educational objectives of a student with a disability? - Answer- Individualized Education Program What is the formal way for parents of students with disabilities to resolve disputes with schools and school districts regarding their child's education? - Answer- Due Process What must the IEP team determine at an eligibility meeting? - Answer- That a student has a qualified disability, significant educational concerns, and needs that general education program cannot meet without specialized supports. Which person is always a required member of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team? - Answer- Special Educator What do the procedural safeguards explain to guardians of students with disabilities? - Answer- Rights, protections, and due process during the evaluation and IEP process Which group is protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)? - Answer- Diabetic individuals Which accommodation scenario would be required by the Americans with Disabilities Act? - Answer- A ramp for a student in a wheelchair What portion of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), adopted and updated in 2010, requires that all construction and alternation of public accommodation buildings, commercial facilities, and state and local government facilities ensure access to the built environment to people with disabilities, enforceable by law? - Answer- The Standards for Accessible Design Which comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities prohibits discrimination in employment, public service, public accommodations, and telecommunication? - Answer- Americans with Disabilities Act Which issue was at the center of several court cases that prompted Congress to pass the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which effectively overturned the court decisions? - Answer- The narrow definition of disability What do 504 plans provide for students with disabilities? - Answer- Accommodations to allow access to the regular curriculum What does a 504 plan provide to a student with disabilities? - Answer- Reasonable accommodations to access the learning environment What did the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protect under Section 504? - Answer- Discrimination against people with disabilities What is a qualifying impairment under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1972? - Answer- One that substantially limits one or more basic life activities A student receives a series of back surgeries and requires a variety of accommodations