Author

Charles J. Russo

Charles J. Russo

Charles J. Russo is Joseph Panzer Chair in Education in the School of Education and Health Sciences and Research Professor of Law at the University of Dayton.

COMMENTARY
A man prays on one knee in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building

Why the Supreme Court’s football decision is a game-changer on school prayer

By: - June 30, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools. At the same time, lower courts have generally forbidden public school employees from openly praying in the workplace, even if no students are involved. Yet on June 27, the Supreme Court effectively gave individual employees’ prayer the thumbs up – potentially ushering in […]

COMMENTARY

Decades after special education law and key ruling, updates still languish – commentary

By: - June 13, 2022

It has been 40 years since the U.S. Supreme Court first took up a case about special education in public schools, Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley. In that case, the court ruled that a deaf student didn’t qualify for a sign-language interpreter because the student was doing well […]

COMMENTARY
A football huddle

SCOTUS is about to decide whether a public school coach can pray on the field – commentary

By: - April 4, 2022

The Supreme Court has consistently banned school-sponsored prayer in public K-12 schools, whether at the start of the school day, during graduation ceremonies, or before football games. Under the Equal Access Act, the Supreme Court has affirmed that students may organize prayer and Bible study clubs during non-instructional hours. Even so, school staff and outside […]