ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates how the Best Interests’ Model (BIM) may be applied to practical, authentic situations arising from court decisions. The chapter model is not presented to give “the answer” but is rather phrased in terms that challenge readers and forces them to think deeply about issues and perhaps to understand that not all school officials or their constituents will necessarily agree on what is ethical behavior or what is in the best interests of the student. The analysis outcome of this chapter (and those that follow) is not to convince the judicial system to change, perhaps to become more moral, more ethical in its reasoning. Although such discussions may have merit as well as important policy implications, these issues are well beyond the purview of our discussion and this work is best left to others who specialize in legal discourse. Rather, the purpose is to address what is, what options school leaders have, and ethical courses of action that may be available to them.
