The legal environment in which schools operate and teachers work is increasingly intrusive. There are more statutes, more cases, more regulations, more departmental policies. The law is more complex and compliance is more difficult. Breaches are more serious, more heavily penalised and noisily publicised.
In this book, Professor Des Butler and Dr Ben Mathews analyse the major legal issues confronting schools across Australia, and provide clear, accessible statements of the current legal principles involved.
They enable readers to understand what the law is and how it is likely to apply in particular situations.
Each chapter covers both legislation directly regulating schools, for example, the obligation on school staff to report suspected child abuse and neglect, and general statutes that apply in educational contexts such as discrimination laws. They also analyse the growing body of case law relating to incidents at schools or involving schools.
The book uses an accessible, reader friendly style making it suitable for teachers, policy makers and the wider school community as well as legal practitioners.
… The publication contains a number of very useful tables setting out statutory requirements across Australian jurisdictions relating to child safety, suspension and exclusion from school, general education and discrimination law.
Given quoted statistics revealing an increasing number of exclusion and suspensions and incidences of bulying in the context of new technologies available to children, this publication will be of considerable importance to those entrusted with the care and education of children. It will help administrators and teachers develop appropriate policies and practices in the education system. At a direct price of $45.00 and a rrp of $49.95, the text is excellent value for anyone with an interest in the field.
Jann Taylor, November 2008
The publication contains a number of useful tables setting out statutory requiements across Australian jurisdications relating to child safety, suspension and exclusion from school, general education and discrimination law.
Given quoted statistics revealing an increasing number of exclusions and suspensions and incidences of bullying in the context of new technologies available to children, this publication will be of considerable importance to those entrusted with the care and education of children. It will help administrators and teachers develop appropriate policies and practices in the education system.
Hearsay, The Journal of the Queensland Bar Association, November 2008
Butler and Mathew’s work should be compulsory reading for school authorities and departmental education policy makers. The extensive research that has been distilled into this book will make it a valuable tool for legal practitioners in this area.
Australian Law Librarian, Vol 15 No 4, 2007
This concise text by two Queensland University of Technology academics provides excellent analysis of the major legal issues confronting schools, principals, teachers and students throughout all Australian jurisdictions.
….. The text is written in an easy, reader friendly format and will be useful to teachers and principals as well as legal practitioners.
Victorian Bar News, Winter 2007
