Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

Schools roundup

  • Following student complaints, Northwestern Prof. Laura Kipnis investigated by her university over an essay she wrote on campus sexual politics [Jonathan Adler and more, Chronicle of Higher Ed (Kipnis cleared amid nationwide furor), Glenn Reynolds] Flashback: How NPR, the Center for Public Integrity, and federal officials fueled the campus sex assault panic [Christina Hoff Sommers, The Daily Beast, January] Harvard lawprof Janet Halley, who battles for rights of Title IX accused, is anything but conservative [Harvard Crimson] “The pretense of ‘neutrality’ … has its roots in privilege.” Popehat’s wicked satire of academia looks so real;
  • Throwing Skittles on a school bus = “interference with an educational facility” [Louisiana, Lowering the Bar]
  • To reduce stigma, or so it’s said, Maryland will serve free school breakfast and summer meals to more children whether they’re poor or not. Why cook for your kids when the state will do it? [my Free State Notes post]
  • Will high school football still be around in 2035? “Iowa Jury Awards Injured Ex-High School Football Player $1M” [Insurance Journal]
  • “Maryland’s ‘free range’ parents cleared of neglect in one case” [Washington Post, earlier]
  • St. Paul, MN schools in recent years embraced latest progressive nostrums on discipline, mainstreaming, cultural difference. Results have not been happy [Susan Du, City Pages]
  • “Two-Thirds of Risk Managers Say Frats Are Major Liability” [Inside Higher Ed] California trend spreads as Connecticut Senate passes affirmative consent bill for college disciplinary policies [West Hartford News/CT News Junkie]

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3 Comments

  • Interesting, two contrasting articles:
    •Throwing Skittles on a school bus = “interference with an educational facility”
    •St. Paul, MN schools in recent years embraced latest progressive nostrums on discipline, mainstreaming, cultural difference. Results have not been happy

    • By Ed

  • I don’t think there’s a real contrast. The first article was critical of bringing in police to arrest students over misconduct ordinarily handled through school discipline; no one here doubts that school discipline might be an appropriate response to throwing candy on a bus. The second article was critical of district policies that have paralyzed the workings of ordinary school discipline to the point where even flagrant and highly disruptive offenses cannot be deterred. In both cases school life becomes crazy if the only choice is thought to be between calling in the cops, and no discipline at all.

    • I don’t know which is more evil: the Jefferson Parish nonsense or the St. Paul nonsense.

      Have people taken leave of their senses?

      “Are we here for Skittles?” “Yes, your honor.” “No, we’re actually here about holding you in contempt for wasting the court’s time. The kid spent 6 days in detention. You’re going to spend 6 days in jail.”

      • By SPO