When warning signs of violence appear in a school, what does the law actually require educators to do? And when tragedy occurs, who can be held legally responsible? In this episode, we examine how courts are addressing these questions through two recent and legally significant cases: Our Bellringer covers the Virginia case in which a jury found an assistant principal negligent after repeated warnings went unaddressed, and our main cases focused on the 2021 tragedy at Oxford High School in Michigan, where courts ultimately rejected constitutional claims against school officials. Through these cases, we break down the difference between negligence and constitutional liability, explain why the “state-created danger” doctrine sets such a high bar, and explore how courts evaluate school safety decisions based on what officials reasonably knew and when they knew it...not based on hindsight. This episode isn’t about blame or perfection; it’s about understanding how the law views action, inaction, and responsibility in the most difficult circumstances school communities may ever face.

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Keywords: school safety, educator liability, education law, podcast, negligence, school violence

#educationlaw #k12 #podcast #ChalkandGavel #StudentSafety #Negligence