This case examined the legal authority of a school board’s power to impose academic sanctions upon students for nonattendance. The named plaintiff in the class action suit, John A. Campbell, alleged that the school board’s policy exceeded the authority granted to them, and therefore was unconstitutional. The New Milford attendance policies in question were outlined in detail in the student handbook, which was distributed annually:
• Students, who were absent, sans administrative waiver, for more than twenty-four class periods in a yearlong course, did not receive credit for the course.
• After the first unapproved absence, each additional unapproved absence resulted in a five-point reduction in the course grade, with the reduction limited …show more content…
The policies were invalid because they conflicted with several state statutes.
II. The policies unconstitutional:
a. The policies deprived students of substantive due process due to the fact that they infringed on the students’ fundamental right to a public education, their academic reputation, and their property interest in grades that reflect academic achievement.
b. The policies deprived students of procedural due process.
c. The policies did not allow for equal protection based on article first, section 20 of the Constitution of the State of Connecticut and the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution.
Decisions Rendered /Rational
• The state Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s ruling on the first argument in question, stating that the board of education derives authority from their role as agents of the state as granted to them by the General Statues.
• The state Supreme Court addressed each of the substantive due process claims, upholding the trial court’s ruling, as the plaintiff did not meet the burden of proof required to overturn the trial court’s ruling. o The school board policy did not jeopardize the fundamental rights guaranteed by article eighth, section one, regarding free public education, as it was not disciplinary in nature and was applied in a consistent and uniform …show more content…
There also tends to be a direct correlation between student attendance and student achievement. I chose this case analysis because I feel as if I fight a losing battle in regards to student attendance each and every day. As an inclusion teacher, my class has a higher rate of absenteeism than those of my grade-level peers. (During the first three quarters of this school year, there have been seven days in which I have had every student present.) Worksheets and “bookwork” cannot adequately replace effective, efficient, and relevant classroom