Last week Pullman & Comley released its annual comprehensive summary of legislation affecting Connecticut schools. Included here is our initial take on the key policy and procedural impacts as a result of this year’s...more
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which governs Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee, in Kutchinski v. Freeland Community School District, 69 F.4th 350 (6th Cir. 2023), reaffirmed a public school district’s ability...more
A decision issued by the Commissioner of Education on October 18, 2022, clarifies that school districts may not use email as the sole means to deliver a short-term suspension notice in the absence of prior parent consent to...more
T.W., a minor, through Waltman v. Southern Columbia Area School District (2020 WL 7027636) (M.D. Pa. 2020), Federal District Court for Middle District of Pennsylvania denies student’s and parents’ motion for preliminary...more
Public schools across the country too often rely on harsh disciplinary measures. These policies are marked by an in-school police presence, high rates of arrest and suspension, and ineffectiveness. Unduly punitive strategies...more
Pullman & Comley’s 2016-17 Superintendents’ Legal Issues Forum got off to a great start with a thought provoking presentation by Mark Sommaruga and Zach Schurin regarding a summary of 2016 Connecticut legislative enactments...more
The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) issued a non-binding opinion that provides guidance on what constitutes a school student record as provided in the Illinois School Student Records Act (ISSRA) and...more
On August 24, 2015, Governor Rauner signed into law Public Act 99-456. The Act requires school districts and charter schools to overhaul their discipline policies and is aimed at reducing the incidence of out-of-school...more
The media coverage of the Sandy Hook school shooting is tapering down, but the lessons for school administrators in its wake are just beginning. One such lesson comes after a California school suspended a high school senior...more