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92 U. Cin. L. Rev. 1 (2023-2024)

handle is hein.journals/ucinlr92 and id is 1 raw text is: SCHOOL MATTERS

Ronna Greff Schneider*
I. INTRODUCTION
To survive and prosper, every democratic government needs a strong
education system. The government must create an educated citizenry who
through the voting process helps the government not only make good
decisions but criticize its bad decisions. To do so requires a free exchange
of ideas. The United States government depends on schools to teach
literacy, encourage socialization, convey societal values, explain the
nature and rules of the political system and its laws, and instill a sense of
patriotism. Achieving most of these goals requires teaching the nation's
history, which in today's divided world is often a complicated endeavor.
Justice Breyer recognized this critical role of education in Mahanoy
Area School District v. B.L.,1 in which he stated that:
America's public schools are the nurseries of democracy. Our
representative democracy only works if we protect the marketplace of
ideas. This free exchange facilitates an informed public opinion, which,
when transmitted to lawmakers, helps produce laws that reflect the
People's will. That protection must include the protection of unpopular
ideas, for popular ideas have less need for protection.2
Many controversies and problems in the education arena involve
constitutional law issues. Most recently, major constitutional issues like
those  involving   speech, religion, racial discrimination, and      sex
discrimination, have arisen in the education context. In all of these areas
except sex discrimination, the Supreme Court has issued at least one
major decision in the last several years directly involving education.
Although there have not been recent Supreme Court decisions directly
involving sex discrimination in education, a significant number of lower
courts have ruled and will likely continue to rule on the issue. These cases
typically involve constitutional (equal protection and due process),
statutory (usually Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972), or
administrative provisions addressing what many consider to be socially
and politically divisive topics.
All of the Supreme Court's most recent decisions directly involving
* Professor Emerita of Law, University of Cincinnati College of Law. J.D., cum laude, Boston College,
1976; B.A., Degree with High Distinction in Russian Studies, University of Michigan, 1972.
1. 141 S. Ct. 2038, 2046 (2021).
2. Id.; see also Keyishian v. Bd. of Regents, 385 U.S. 589, 602-03 (1967) (Teachers and
students must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and
understanding; otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die.) (collecting Supreme Court cases).

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