Call for Papers

This Call for Papers might be of interest to some MOJ readers and bloggers:

AALS 2008 Annual Meeting
Section on Law and Education
Call for Papers

The Section on Law and Education seeks 3 to 4 papers and panel participants for the 2008 section meeting, co-sponsored by the Section on Law and Religion, on the topic of religious speech in public K-12 schools.  Selected papers will be published in the Journal of Law and Education.  The title and a brief description of the program are below.

"Faith at the Schoolhouse Gate:  Analyzing Religious Speech in Public Schools."
Because students and educators necessarily bring their beliefs and convictions with them through the schoolhouse gate, clashes inevitably occur between deeply held religious values and the values of others in the school community. Those clashes can arise when school officials attempt to enforce hate speech policies against what they see as offensive or hurtful religious speech, to restrict the distribution of religious literature, or to respond to students' religious expression in broadly framed assignments or activities.  They arise in a host of contexts that pit students and their families against school officials, and school officials against one another.  They pull into sharp conflict competing constitutional freedoms and competing national values.
Panelists will examine the complex theoretical tensions these conflicts present and the implications of the courts' continually evolving approaches to those tensions.

Abstracts (100-250 words) should be submitted by email by July 31, 2007, to Daniel Weddle at [email protected].  Please put "Education Law Section Program" in the subject line.  Questions can be directed to Daniel Weddle at 816-235-5654.