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Goss Vs. Lopez: Case Study

Decent Essays

1. The purpose of this memorandum is to outline the important aspects of the case, Goss v. Lopez, and write a case brief using the FIRAC method.

2. FACTS: Nine named appellees, each of whom alleged that he or she had been suspended from the public high school in Columbus for up to 10 days without a hearing. Dwight Lopez was one of the nine students who were suspended for 10 days for misconduct at a public school in Ohio. Lopez filed a suit that Principal Goss violated their Due Process rights by not having a hearing for their suspensions. Ohio Law empowers the principal of an Ohio public school to suspend a pupil for misconduct for up to 10 days or to expel him or her. However, the principal must notify the student’s parents within 24 hours …show more content…

ISSUES: Is it true that Due Process ensures that all students in public schools get a hearing before they get suspended?

4. RULES: The Ohio Law Rev. Code Ann. 3313.48 and 3313.64 (1972 and Supp. 1973) (1) permits ‘(i)mmediate removal of a student whose conduct disrupts the academic atmosphere of the school, endangers fellow students, teachers or school officials, or damages property’; (2) require notice of suspension proceedings to be sent to the students’ parents within 24 hours of the decision to conduct; and (3) require a hearing to be held, with the student present, within 72 hours of his removal.

5. APPLICATION: The nine appellees have the right to get a free public education. Education, in this case, is considered a property right to the students. The state of Ohio violates the students’ rights by taking away their property without giving them a chance to claim their side of the story. The court explained that the right to have an education should be for everyone and the disciplinary actions that Principal Goss implemented on these students violate that right. Not only does it crush important property rights, but it has the potential to affect the students by inhibiting them of opportunities in the future. The students who are under suspension could have trouble finding employment after graduation. The serious disciplinary issues that were recorded in his or her permanent school records can prevent them from opportunities they face later

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