Kids aren't the only ones afraid of classroom discipline these days. Teachers and other school officials are increasingly anxious about getting sued. Two-thirds of teachers surveyed said they worry at least as much about lawsuits as about test results. Such legal action has "a chilling effect on teachers' willingness to discipline students or even to pat them on the back," says John Mitchell of the American Federation of Teachers. Here are some recent school-related cases. --By Jeremy Caplan
TAPING TROUBLE
First-grade teacher Barbara Malenfant was suspended in March for using duct tape to quiet a chattery 6-year-old student. Status: The...