Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature recently reached an agreement on a “bell-to-bell” smartphone ban in schools. This new legislation will take effect for the 2025-2026 school year and will apply to all schools...more
On Oct. 25, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law Senate Bill S05261/Assembly Bill A05010, amending the definition of child abuse under Article 23-B, § 1125(1). The definition of child abuse now includes corporal punishment...more
On Oct. 10, 2023, the New York State Education Department’s Office of Counsel issued Formal Opinion No. 243 (the Opinion), stating that alternative instruction for suspended students must equal the number of hours recently...more
As we become aware of an increasing number of schools located in areas designated as “Yellow Zones” pursuant to the New York State Cluster Action Initiative, if your school is not currently in a “Yellow Zone,” it may be...more
On March 30, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.13 addressed the following issues affecting public school districts throughout the State: (1) the postponement of upcoming school board elections; (2) whether...more
On February 25, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed the “Red Flag” bill into law. The purpose of this law, also known as the “extreme risk protection order” law, is to prevent individuals from accessing firearms, rifles and shotguns...more
On March 22, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision regarding a matter of significant concern to school districts. In the case of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1, the Supreme Court held...more
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could affect the education of millions of students with disabilities, and the public schools that provide services to these students. In the case of...more