Legal Dictionary: Education Law

DEFINITION

• Education Law is the legal discipline covering all issues pertaining to schools, from kindergarten through the higher learning of graduate schools.

• Historically, the law of education has focused on providing access to high-quality education for all children, no matter what their race, disability status, income or gender.

• Education Law also strives to make higher education more accessible to a student who wishes to attend a college or university. Many of the changes in Education Law since the first schools were built have been brought about by court interpretations of the federal Constitution and by congressional enactment of federal statutes based on constitutional principles.

• As public schools change and evolve under the law, so do private institutions. Private schools and parents also inspire changes in Education Law by lobbying legislatures, bringing lawsuits and helping to change public opinion about education and schools.

FIND AN EDUCATION LAWYER IN YOUR AREA.

More information on EDUCATION AND THE LAW.

OTHER BUZZWORDS

• Fair Labor Standards Act
• Freedom of Religion
• School Board
• School Committee
• School District

For more definitions, visit the FindLaw Legal Dictionary.

PRACTICE AREA NOTES

• An attorney who practices Education Law may represent a city or town as solicitor, covering issues for the school board, may represent individuals with grievances from the school district or may represent organizations, such as teacher's unions, involved in employment issues.
• The state and federal departments of education also employ many attorneys who practice Education Law.
• Hot issues in Education Law include increased regulation and prevention of violence in schools (balanced with students' rights of privacy and free speech), the Internet (from teleclasses to parental controls) and civil rights.

RELATED PRACTICE AREAS

Employment Law -- Employer
State, Local, and Municipal Law
Administrative Law
Civil Rights Law