School Law
Student: Dr. Freda Doster
This course is designed to serve as a brief study of the law as it applies to education. Applicable court cases and their implications, as well as pertinant State and Federal laws and codes were reviewed.
One area of study for this course included teacher contracts and the Georgia codes which govern this issue. Students were required to read and review The Official Code of Georgia pertaining to teacher contracts (Official Code of Georgia 20-2-940). In particular, the following questions were posed:
1. What are the statutorily acceptable reasons for firing a teacher during a contract period in Georgia?
2. What are the acceptable reasons for non-renewing a "tenured" teacher's contract?
3. What are the two elements of due process that a school system must give a teacher who is fired during a contract period, and who objects to the firing?
4. Should a school superintendent give a written reason to a teacher fired under the conditions above, if the teacher asks for it?
5. How many days does a teacher have to file an appeal with the local school board regarding a firing as described above?