Education and school law cover the laws and regulations that govern federal and state education, including the administration and operation of educational institutions, school athletics, instruction methods, programs, and materials. This area of law encompasses issues relating to school faculty, staff, and students, including school discipline and discrimination based on race, color, national original, sex, or disability.
Special education law refers to the laws and regulations that govern the teaching of students with special needs. These needs may be learning or physical disabilities, behavioral problems, talents, or academic aptitude that cannot be satisfied in a regular classroom.
Vineyard Haven is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,048 at the 2000 census. Known by the original Wampanoag inhabitants as Nobnocket, this area was first referred to by the colonial settlers as Homes Hole; "Homes" from a Wampanoag term for "old man," and "Hole" meaning a sheltered inlet. By the 1800s it was more commonly spelled Holmes Hole after the descendants of John Holmes (1730–1812) who had settled in the village during the second half of the eighteenth century. In 1871 the village officially changed its name to Vineyard Haven. Though the name Vineyard Haven technically refers only to one section of the town of Tisbury, the names are used interchangeably, with Vineyard Haven now being a commonly used title for the whole town. Vineyard Haven is the main port of entry to Martha's Vineyard, and one of the three main population centers. The Steamship Authority wharf is located in Vineyard Haven, at which ferries arrive and depart year-round. (A second, seasonal wharf is located in neighboring Oak Bluffs. ) Although the year-round population is only about 2,000 people, its population increases tremendously in the summer, as most houses on the Vineyard are owned by summer residents.