Teachers and the Law: Diverse Roles and New Challenges, 4th ed.

Teachers and the Law: Diverse Roles and New Challenges, 4th ed. A. Wayne MacKay, L. Sutherland, J. Barnett, Toronto: Emond Montgomery, 2020, 360 pages, $87.00 (paper), $70.00 (ebook)

The role of an educator has changed fundamentally, and the pace of its transformation- prompted by social, cultural, and economic changes, technological advancements, and public demands-has resulted in a fluid professional landscape that has educators needing to rethink many aspects of their profession. The fourth edition of Teachers and the Law: Diverse Roles and New Challenges ["Teachers and the Law"] is a useful and relatable resource that captures the multifaceted roles teachers assume by highlighting emerging issues and trends.

Having been immersed in public education for the past 23 years, I can attest to the rapid rate at which responsibilities and heightened levels of care for students and their families have evolved. Teachers and the Law provides both a comprehensive and technical overview with respect to emerging issues yet partners this information with examples and jurisprudence that provide a clear context. From a proactive lens, the reviewing of the implications of case decisions foreshadows the ripple effect these outcomes will have on provincial policies and the operational and responsive duties of system and school leaders.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of matters related to the "legal framework" within the context of education law. This outline is well structured and understandable in that it does not cloud with legal jargon the reader's ability to absorb the topics discussed. Aligning constitutional law, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,1 and various statutes, regulations, by-laws etc. as they relate to education can be a complicated task. The authors imply that judges and lawyers have not made efforts to demystify the law and tend not to use plain language to explain legal principles.2 The logical sequencing of Teachers and the Law, coupled with the introductory overview, remedies this tendency without compromising the need to provide thought-provoking information on the implications for the educational landscape of matters related to the Youth Criminal Justice Act,3 Safe Streets and Communities Act,4 and the dissolution of the role of the doctrine of in loco parentis within schools. This chapter effectively lays the foundation for the subsequent content that showcases how teachers' historical role as an...