Now that the 2024 Title IX regulations have been released, what does your school need to do to be fully compliant by August 1? Over the next few months, our Franczek Title IX team will provide tips and information on key...more
Franczek P.C. is pleased to announce the publication of its Legislative Update for schools. A PDF version of the 2024 School Law Legislative Update is now available...more
This school year has begun with a number of changes related to teacher tenure, evaluations, and dismissals. On August 4, 2023, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 103-0500, revising the Illinois School Code...more
As we previously reported, under new School Code amendments made by Faith’s Law aimed to address sexual abuse prevention and response in schools, school districts, charter and non-public schools are required to implement new...more
Governor Pritzker’s disaster proclamation, declaring a public health emergency due to COVID-19, ends today, May 11, 2023. As a result, COVID-leave rights, and other rights contingent upon the Governor’s public health...more
5/11/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Illinois ,
Leave of Absence ,
New Guidance ,
Open Meetings Act ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Remote Learning ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Workplace Safety
We previously shared our School Law Legislative Update, focused on new Illinois school-related laws that became effective January 1, 2023. From that update, our team at Franczek P.C. has compiled a narrower list of those laws...more
Happy New Year! Several Illinois laws related to schools became effective January 1, 2023, and our team at Franczek P.C. has compiled them in its new School Law Legislative Update, focused on new laws in effect in 2023. A PDF...more
1/10/2023
/ Bereavement Leave ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Employees ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Health and Safety ,
LGBTQ ,
Mental Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
School Lunch Programs ,
Special Education ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Wage and Hour
The Biden Administration has recently taken steps through agency guidance, rulemaking and decision-making to highlight protections for students and employees with pregnancy-related conditions, including abortion, under the...more
10/25/2022
/ Abortion ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Educational Institutions ,
Healthcare ,
New Guidance ,
OCR ,
Pregnancy ,
Reproductive Discrimination ,
Roe v Wade ,
SCOTUS ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Title IX
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that school districts may only be liable for employee sexual misconduct when a school official has actual notice of the conduct. In C.S. v. Madison Metropolitan School District, the...more
5/27/2022
/ Child Abuse ,
Child Protection Laws ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Grooming Policies ,
Illinois ,
Minor Children ,
School Districts ,
Sexual Abuse ,
Sexual Conduct ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Title IX ,
Vulnerable Victims
The COVID-19 paid leave law has raised both legal and practical questions for school administrators. To further assist with following the mandates of the law, we have prepared a model form that schools can use when receiving...more
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker released an official statement this week vetoing HB 2778 and announcing in its place a joint initiative reflecting a compromise with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Education...more
1/26/2022
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Governor Pritzker ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
School Districts ,
Teachers ,
Universities ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
Late Friday, Governor Pritzker issued Executive Order 2021-24 requiring schools to exclude students and school personnel for COVID-19 diagnosis, exposure, or symptoms. School districts, not the local health department, are...more
9/21/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Workplace Safety
Last week, ISBE published Emergency Rules regarding Mandatory Vaccinations for School Personnel. The Emergency Regulations clarify the requirements under Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order 2021-22. ...more
9/20/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Earlier last week, on June 1, 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker re-issued and amended Executive Order 2020-47 to provide more flexibility to preK-12 schools seeking to offer full-time in-person instruction. The order allows...more
6/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Public Gatherings ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
School Closures ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations
A little over a year ago, in Dynak v. Board of Education of Wooddale School District 7, the Illinois Supreme Court put to rest the argument about the timing of paid sick leave related to the birth of a child under Section...more
On August 27, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0591, which added Section 24A-5.5 to the School Code. Section 24A-5.5 requires school districts to create an appeals process for teachers who receive...more
With the end of the school year slowly approaching, remember that any recommendations to non-renew a probationary teacher’s employment for the next school year must likely be acted upon at the board’s March or April meeting. ...more
On August 27, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0591 (formerly Senate Bill 1213), creating an appeals process for teachers who receive unsatisfactory summative ratings. Beginning with the 2019-2020 school...more
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently updated its Non-Regulatory Guidance on the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) and Senate Bill 7 (SB 7). Similar to the 2012 guidance, the updated Non-Regulatory...more
Last week, the Illinois Appellate Court’s Second District held that a teacher subject to dismissal based on a reduction in force (RIF) did not have recall rights because she was in RIF Grouping 2, and that the school district...more
An Illinois Appellate Court recently overturned the 2012 dismissal of a teacher who was terminated for being under the influence while at work. The opinion provides instructive guidance on how courts closely analyze a school...more
As we reported last month, recently enacted Public Act 098-0648 gives limited recall rights to honorably dismissed teachers placed in Group 2 who have one “needs improvement” rating. Effective July 1, 2014, Public Act...more
School leaders across the country are buzzing about a California Superior Court’s recent tentative ruling that the state’s teacher tenure, dismissal, and layoff laws violate the equal protection clause of the California...more
On January 1, 2014, legislative changes made by Public Act 98-0513 (Act) to the tenure, layoff and impasse bargaining process originally set out in Senate Bill 7 will go into effect.
- Tenure Portability. The Act...more