The Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments and the Policy-Making Process in Educational Leadership: An Analysis of Relevant Legal Cases

Louisiana Educational Research Association. e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://leraweb.net/ojs/index.php/rice

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Constitutional Law; Citizenship; Educational Policy; Civil Rights; Court Litigation; Educational Legislation; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Federal Legislation; Leadership; Policy Formation; School Desegregation; Desegregation Litigation; Equal Education; Students with Disabilities

Fifth Amendment; Fourteenth Amendment; Brown v Board of Education; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; Doe v Plyler; Bakke v Regents of University of California

This article discusses the due process clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments and their application in legal cases related to K-12 and higher education. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments are important because, among many things, they declare that before any person can be accused of any crime or wrongdoing, he or she must be allowed due process to prove his or her innocence. Without due process, all decisions related to an individual's innocence or guilt are thus null and void. Using content analysis methodology, this research looked at 11 Supreme Court decisions related to due process in education. It was discovered that decisions mainly related to student classification versus self-identification and wrongful termination of faculty and school personnel. The findings of this study help educational leaders at all levels to better understand the vastness of both amendments and how they work in tandem with drafting equitable, equal, inclusive, and fair policies and procedures for all students, faculty, and staff in educational settings.

As Provided

2020

EJ1275734