“Legal Lessons From The Laptop” Diocese of Stockton, California October 15, 2010

Laws Impacting Catholic Education in the United States 1. Constitutional Law 2. Statutes and Regulations 3. Common Law Principles 4. Contract Law 5. Canon Law

Duties of Teachers *Implement rules *Supervise students

10 Questions to Avoid a Lawsuit

1. How Catholic is my school?

2. Have I read the Faculty Handbook?

3. Have I read the Parent/Student Handbook?

4. When was the last time that a safety audit was done of the classrooms, the gym, the locker room, the lab, the cafeteria, the parking lot or the playground?

5. How do I maintain student records?

6. Am I familiar with the Buckley Amendment as it refers to child custody and posting of student grades?

7. How much do I know about the technological world where our students live?

Our vocation calls us to connect with our students in the world that they experience today.

Social Networking Sites

My-Space®, Friendster®, Facebook®, Xanga®, etc.

Rate My Teacher®, Rate My Principal®, Rate My Professor®

Virtual Reality Networks

Instant Messaging

Text Messaging

Sexting

Frequently Used Acronyms LOL WTF KMA POS

Cell Phones

Twitter *Communication of up to 140 characters. * Began in 2006 *Used in politics and marketing *“What’s new?”

Twitterese *tweet = twitter message *twitter feed = ongoing message *tweeters or tweeple = people who send tweets *twiller = novel written with tweets

Policy Development

Resources

Legal Responsibilities

Cyber Bullying

School Websites © 2010

Off Campus Behavior

Copyright Issues

8. Do you know that Lesson Plans and Grade Books are legal documents?

9. Do you diagnose students?

10. How do I define and exemplify personal boundaries?

Questions

Dr. Sarah Wannemuehler St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School 810 High House Road Cary, NC