Education, Student Rights and the Charter

Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the interpretation of its provisions by the courts is forcing educators to pay increasing attention to student rights. According to author Ailsa M. Watkinson, this is a positive development because acknowledging student rights makes for a more democratic and caring education system. In turn, this makes for a better learning environment. This book addresses questions facing both educators and parents. Those include the ability of teachers and principals to search students and their lockers; whether teachers can limit the contents of student newspapers; whether school boards are responsible for sexual harassment within schools; what constitutes corporal punishment and whether it can be used; and what accommodation schools must make for students facing learning difficulties because of the environment in which they grew up.