Recently in School Law Category

If you default on a student loan, what happens? Unfortunately, more Americans are finding out the answer first-hand.

Student loans now have the highest delinquency rate of any consumer loan, higher even than car loans or credit cards, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Many of those student loan delinquencies -- i.e., missed payments -- will lead to student loan defaults.

Default occurs when a borrower continues to miss payments on a loan. For federal student loans, for example, default is when no payment has been received for 270 days. At that point, a lender like the Department of Education may take steps to collect payment.

There are several ways this can happen. For example:

A gay teen has won the right to bring his boyfriend to the prom.

Stacy Dawson, an openly gay 17-year-old student in Missouri, wanted to take his high school sweetheart to the prom. It just so happened that the high school sweetheart was another male, reports NBC News.

Officials at Scott County Central High School initially told Dawson that he could not bring his boyfriend to the prom, set for April, and pointed to a written policy. But after Dawson and a civil rights group threatened legal action, the school district has apparently decided to revise that policy.

It's possible that schools in Prince George's County, Maryland will soon own copyrights to all student works created at school. Same could go for teachers' works too.

That means everything from a first grader's butterfly to a high school senior's term paper could be deemed the school's intellectual property. Not to mention teacher lesson plans and curricula.

You'd be correct in thinking this move is unusual. If the proposal is adopted by the county board of education, it would be the first in the area to have this policy. The big question on many people's minds at this point: Is it legal?

Little Oaks Elementary became a Christian school in 2009 when it was purchased by Godspeak Church. Then last year, the new management handed out "proof of faith" questionnaires for all staff to fill out about their religious habits and beliefs.

Two teachers refused to fill them out and weren't rehired the next school year. Then they threatened to sue the school. But in a surprising turn, now the school is suing the teachers.

Why?

Are food allergies a disability entitled to protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act? If you're a college student, the answer is apparently yes.

Students at Lesley University in Massachusetts were worried about eating in the dining halls because of various food allergies. In 2009, several of them filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, claiming the school wouldn't make accommodations for food allergies.

The DOJ took notice and last month announced a settlement with the university. It's a victory for people who suffer from severe food allergies and don't want to be left out.

Parents at Piedmont High School in California received an upsetting letter from the principal last week about a 'Fantasy Slut League' at the school.

The league involved a competition among some male students to earn the most 'points' through documented sexual activity with certain female students. The girls didn't know about the competition and in some cases fell victim to it.

The issue came to light recently and the school is investigating internally. But claims about the league raise questions about whether this goes beyond the school's jurisdiction.

Three middle school students are suspended and faced expulsion after seeing pictures of their teacher topless on an iPad.

The students were using school-issued iPads during class while playing a game called Flow. One of the students reportedly pressed a button, and a topless photo of their teacher popped up, reports CNN.

You would assume that the teacher would be the one at fault and blamed for the incident. But instead, the students were the ones to get in the most serious trouble.

Not surprisingly, the students' parents are outraged.

It's no secret that junk food is bad for you but it seems that Flamin' Hot Cheetos are taking all the heat as more schools are banning the popular snack food.

School districts in Illinois, New Mexico, and California have banned Flamin' Hot Cheetos or are trying to do so. Students that bring them to school risk administrators confiscating the bright red spicy snack.

The problem is the lack of nutritional content in the snacks, according to administrators. But what's curious is that other snack foods aren't receiving the same treatment.

It's not a surprise that downloading copyrighted music and movies is illegal but college students are often still surprised when they get caught.

There are a lot of myths about whether illegal downloading is really that bad and whether it will lead to legal trouble. The answer to those two questions is 'yes' and 'yes.' Entertainment companies take their intellectual property seriously which can lead to big fines for illegal downloaders.

If you think you're safe because you download things from your dorm room, think again. You're just as easy to find there as you are at home.

A Texas school policy that allows administrators to paddle students has come under fire after a high school sophomore, Taylor Santos, was hit with a paddle.

Santos allegedly let another student copy her schoolwork although she denied knowing the student did it, reports NBC News. To avoid a second day of in-school suspension she accepted paddling as an alternative punishment and her mother agreed as well.

But her mother didn't realize what she was agreeing to. Her 15 year old daughter was paddled by the male-vice principal hard enough to leave a mark.