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James Ingraham V. Wright Case Study

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Whether aware of it or not, the government plays a constant role in the every day lives of everyone. It is no different when it comes to the world of education. Overtime, multitudes of court case rulings have shaped how schools operate. As both an educator, student, and even parent, it is very important to be informed of the laws that make education what it is today. One case, Tinker v. Des Moines ISD dealt with the issue of free speech in schools. John and Mary Beth Tinker and friend Chris Eckhart disapproved of the war in Vietnam and decided to protest. They decided to wear black armbands to school to show their disapproval. School administrators requested that the students remove their armbands. However, the students refused and were suspended. …show more content…

Wright was a case on the topic of corporal punishment in schools. James Ingraham, an eighth grade student at a school in Miami got in trouble for acting out in the school auditorium. He was sent to the principal’s office, where the administrator decided to give him five swats with a paddle. The student, claiming he had not done anything wrong, refused the punishment. Ingraham was then held down and swatted twenty times with the paddle. After the punishment, he suffered bruises that had to receive medical attention and was kept out of school for ten days due to the injury. Ingraham’s parents decided to sue the school, claiming that this use of corporal punishment had been a violation of the protection against “cruel and unusual punishment” as stated in the Eighth Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the school. They explained that physical punishment at school does not interfere with the Constitution. Whether or not corporal punishment is permitted is decided by individual states and individual school districts. This type of punishment is allowed in 22 states and banned in …show more content…

v. Jane Doe. A school district in Texas allowed a student “chaplain,” who had been elected by a group of students, to lead a prayer over the PA system prior to the start of all home football games. A group of students, along with their parents, sued the school district, claiming the event violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise.” It was decided by the Supreme Court that the Sante Fe school district’s current prayer policy was unconstitutional. Although a student was saying the prayer, it was still a school sponsored event. Currently, it is acceptable for a group of students to initiate a prayer, as long as a coach, teacher, or other faculty member is not

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