About this blog: There are few issues more controversial and emotionally charged than education in Palo Alto. For this reason, I have chosen to write under the pseudonym Edmund Burke. Burke was an 18th century philosopher, statesman, and political...  (More)

About this blog: There are few issues more controversial and emotionally charged than education in Palo Alto. For this reason, I have chosen to write under the pseudonym Edmund Burke. Burke was an 18th century philosopher, statesman, and political writer. He was best known for advocacy against the arbitrary abuse of government power, and against injustice. He attended law school but was not a lawyer. He wrote in an incisive, learned style that was broadly admired both during his life and long after. Like Burke, I am not a lawyer but am familiar with the law. Law is ubiquitous in the educational context. A vast architecture of legal requirements governs educational institutions and also provides for student and parent rights. Often these rules are impenetrable to parents, students, and staff, yet compliance is critically important. Therefore this blog will focus on examining legal and policy issues in education. The information provided on this blog is not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Readers should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to specific problems. I welcome a vigorous debate, however I will delete posts that attempt to identify me or any other anonymous poster. While the value of anonymous commenting is debatable, as a long-time PAUSD parent I have observed that fears of retaliation are so pervasive that it would be impossible to have a full and free discussion of school issues without allowing it.  (Hide)