When can schools curtail students' political speech? Can a student be paddled for simply writing "Trump 2016" on a classroom whiteboard? We discuss T.S. v. Talladega County Board of Education, a fascinating case about a school navigating the political tensions following the 2016 presidential election. This one has it all! Politics, free speech, discipline, corporal punishment, and, of course, Ricky Bobby quotes. We also talk about recent efforts to promote diversity in Seattle Public Schools and a new law in West Virginia that we term a "hydra law" because it cropped up after previous efforts to inject creationism into schools had failed.

When can school officials search students' belongings? In this episode, we branch out into the world of true crime! We go back to the early 80s to discuss the landmark Supreme Court case that defined the boundaries of privacy and authority in schools. We discuss New Jersey v. TLO, a delinquency case involving a search of a 14-year-old freshman's purse that continues to influence how we balance students’ rights with school authority. We also talk about a recent settlement in one of the cases challenging Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, or as it's commonly known, "Don't Say Gay."

How can a school district seek to achieve a diverse student body at its elite magnet school? We discuss the case of Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board, another case in the evolving legal battle over race-conscious admissions and the pursuit of diversity in school admissions. At issue in this case was whether the Board's race-neutral admissions policy violated the Equal Protection Clause by having a disparate impact on Asian American students and being motivated by an invidious intent to discriminate based on race. We briefly covered this case when the Supreme Court denied review, but it was too interesting and too important not to get its own episode. We also talk about escalating and evolving legal conflicts over the curriculum.

When are schools legally responsible for student injuries? What responsibilities do teachers have to keep kids from getting hurt in the classroom? Middle schoolers and scalpels, what could go wrong? We discuss the case of Heuser v. Community Insurance Corporation, a Wisconsin state court case involving (you guessed it) a middle school student who cut himself with a scalpel during a science lab. We also talk about the Supreme Court's docket for this term and an African American student in Texas who was suspended for wearing his hair in locs.

Do parents have the right to opt their children out of a curriculum they find objectionable? We discuss the case of Mahmoud v. McKnight, a complicated case that weighs a district's choice to adopt books inclusive of LGBTQ characters against parental rights to opt their children out of such content. We also talk about a recent wave of litigation where school districts are suing social media companies for alleged harms caused by students' social media use.

Does a high school football coach have a First Amendment right to engage in a private moment of prayer after a football game? What about a not-so-quiet, not-so-private, religiously infused post-game speech given directly to players on the 50-yard line? How should schools navigate the relationship between the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment? In Part 2, we continue the conversation with Richard Katskee, one of the attorneys who argued the Kennedy v. Bremerton School District case before the Supreme Court. Here, we'll dive into the decision and its impacts on schools!

Does a high school football coach have a First Amendment right to engage in a private moment of prayer after a football game? What about a not-so-quiet, not-so-private, religiously infused post-game speech given directly to players on the 50-yard line? How should schools navigate the relationship between the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment? We're joined by Richard Katskee, one of the attorneys who argued the case before the Supreme Court, to discuss Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. This is the case of the praying football coach, which has huge implications for religion and public schools. Listen in to Part 1 of this special two-part episode, which explores the facts of the case. Then stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we dive into the decision and its impacts on schools! Also in this episode, we discuss some other recent Supreme Court updates in our bellringer, including two cases the Court has declined to hear and another case about fishing, of all things, that could have some serious impacts on education.

Can a student be subjected to a mandatory one-year expulsion for a knife he didn't even know he had? We discuss Seal v. Morgan, a case that deals with the constitutionality of zero-tolerance policies and how to balance students' rights with the safe and orderly operation of schools. We also talk about a recent case out of Iowa that struck down a curricular gag order on LGBTQ+ content in the curriculum and school libraries.

Is there a fundamental constitutional right to education under the U.S. Constitution? Does a state's school funding system violate the Constitution when it results in stark inequalities between districts? We discuss the seminal Supreme Court case of San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, which analyzed the constitutionality of Texas's inequitable funding system that relied heavily on local property taxes.

Does a drama teacher have a First Amendment right to choose a play for her students to perform? We discuss Boring v. Buncomb County Board of Education, a case that deals with teachers' academic freedom and the question of who has the authority to make curricular decisions in public schools. We also discuss the newly released 2020-2021 Civil Rights Data Collection from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which you can explore at https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov/.