1. Brown vs. board of education of Topeka 1954 Background: segregation, a girl wants to go to school but she can’t because she’s black. Issue: 14 th amendment; equal protection clause. Decision: segregation was ended in public school. Overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson

2. Cooper vs. Aaron 1958 Background: Little Rock school board wasn’t following the Brown decision. Issue: 14 th amendment; Schools needed to be desegregated. Decision: Unanimously ruled Arkansas must follow Brown decision and desegregate public schools.

3. Engel vs. Vitale 1962 Background: reading of a non-denominational prayer at the beginning of each school day. Issue: 1st amendment; establishment of Religion. Decision: no public school sponsored prayer.

4. Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education 1971 Background: school board bussing kids to other schools to desegregate. Issue: 14 th amendment; civil rights, desegregation of schools Decision: unanimously voted for the school board giving them broad powers to desegregate public schools.

5. Tinker vs. Des Moines 1969 Background: students wore black arm bands to school in protest of Vietnam War. Issue: 1 st amendment; freedom of expressions Decision: court ruled 7-2 in favor of the Tinkers. Students have freedom of speech unless it disrupts education.

6. New Jersey vs. T.L.O 1985 Background: girl caught smoking in bathroom, then questioned and searched where they found drugs and paraphernalia Issue: 4 th & 14 th amendment; search & seizure civil rights Decision: court ruled 6-3 in favor of N.V. school officials need only reasonable suspicion to conduct a search.

7. Board of Education of Westside Community schools vs. Mergens 1990 Background: school denied permission to a group of students from a Christian club Issue: 1 st amendment; establishment clause Decision: court voted 8-1 to uphold the Equal Access Act and allow for the formation of the non-curricular Christian club

8. Vernonia Schools District vs. Acton 1995 Background: Acton denied football participation when he and his parents refused drug test Issue: 4 th amendment; right to privacy Decision: court ruled 6-3 in favor of Vernonia. Drug testing student athletes is not a violation of 4 th amendment rights.

9. Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlmeier 1988 Background: principal had two articles kept from publication because he deemed them inappropriate, Cathy Kuhlmeier and 2 students brought case to court Issue: 1 st amendment; free speech & free press Decision: court ruled 4-5 in favor of Hazelwood. Schools may refuse to sponsor speech & use editorial rights because it was a school paper.