Prior to its March 25, 2025 deadline, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee likely finished up its work for this legislative session and approved a final flurry of bills that would generally...more
4/24/2025
/ Breastfeeding ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Connecticut ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
General Assembly ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Employees ,
Quotas ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Warehouses ,
Workers’ Compensation
Last week, we wrote about how school leaders should address issues involving “undocumented” students, including the possibility of visits by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to Connecticut schools in...more
1/29/2025
/ Data Privacy ,
Department of Education ,
Educational Institutions ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Privacy Laws ,
Regulatory Reform ,
School Districts ,
School Safety ,
State and Local Government ,
Students ,
Trump Administration
Back in 2017, at the dawn of the first Trump administration, there was much concern about how school leaders should address issues involving “undocumented” students including the possibility of visits by the U.S. Immigration...more
1/24/2025
/ Department of Education ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Educational Institutions ,
FERPA ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
Student Privacy ,
Students ,
Trump Administration
Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) generally provides access to records created by public agencies (including school districts). However, the FOIA contains an exemption from disclosure for “educational records”...more
1/15/2025
/ Data Privacy ,
Department of Education ,
Document Requests ,
Educational Institutions ,
FERPA ,
FOIA ,
Privacy Laws ,
Privacy Rule ,
Public Records ,
School Districts ,
Student Privacy ,
Students
Statutory definition does not reference municipalities, boards of education or political subdivisions, leaving room for interpretation under Public Act 24-8 Arguably the most significant labor and employment development...more
12/18/2024
/ Board of Education ,
Connecticut ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
Municipal Employees ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Public Sector ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Board members sometimes just assume that whenever they enter into executive session under Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), they can invite anyone they want into the session. Furthermore, boards often assume...more
The following is a brief description of acts that were passed during the 2024 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut school leaders. ...more
8/22/2024
/ Connecticut ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Benefits ,
General Assembly ,
New Amendments ,
New Regulations ,
Public Employees ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Special Education ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Wage and Hour
Last year, the Connecticut General Assembly passed significant revisions to the school climate and bullying requirements, via Public Act 23-167 as we explored at length in a prior posting. ...more
Clients sometimes include me on communications merely to protect themselves from Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), believing that anything sent to me is automatically covered by the attorney-client...more
The 2024 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly just concluded on May 8, 2024. As we have consistently done every year, our firm will be publishing in these pages our annual summaries of legislation affecting...more
The 2024 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly, which concluded on May 8, 2024, was not especially prolific in terms of the volume of labor and employment related bills passed. ...more
5/17/2024
/ Connecticut ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
General Assembly ,
Labor Reform ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
One of the many worries that I have as a school attorney is when school board members use their e-mail account to discuss board business. As you may know, such conduct can run afoul of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information...more
At its March 7, 2024 meeting, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee began the process of approving bills. The following is a brief summary of the bills that the Committee has voted favorably...more
3/20/2024
/ Connecticut ,
Employee Benefits ,
General Assembly ,
Medical Leave ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
OSHA ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Employees ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retirement Plan ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits
Congratulations on your election to the board of education and thank you for volunteering your time to your community. As you begin to embark on your board journey you will unfortunately, find that way too much of your time...more
As the summer (and your vacation) becomes a distant memory, and the days get shorter and colder, I’ll bet you have had passing thoughts about changes to Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act’s (“FOIA”), especially in light...more
11/7/2023
/ Administrative Exemption ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
FOIA ,
Notice Requirements ,
Open Records ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Comment ,
Public Employees ,
Public Meetings ,
Public Records ,
Request For Information ,
School Boards ,
School Districts
During the 2023 session of the Connecticut General Assembly, one of the bills that was enacted was Public Act 23-101 ("An Act Concerning The Mental, Physical And Emotional Wellness Of Children"). Despite its name, the Act...more
During the 2023 session of the Connecticut General Assembly, one of the bills that was enacted was Public Act 23-101 (“An Act Concerning The Mental, Physical And Emotional Wellness Of Children“). Despite its name, the Act...more
To follow-up on our annual School Law legislative update, over the next few weeks we will be highlighting and analyzing the most important developments from this year’s session of the General Assembly that Connecticut K-12...more
8/22/2023
/ Charter Schools ,
Connecticut ,
Disabled Children ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
Section 504 ,
Special Education ,
Students
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
8/15/2023
/ Bullying ,
Connecticut ,
Educational Institutions ,
Expulsion ,
General Assembly ,
Harassment ,
Libraries ,
Policies and Procedures ,
School Districts ,
School Suspension ,
Special Education ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Title IX
We wrote in June about employment-related legislation from the 2023 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly, in the immediate aftermath of the conclusion of the session. Now That They Are Finished: Developments...more
8/10/2023
/ Connecticut ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
General Assembly ,
Labor Disputes ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Retirement ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The 2023 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on June 7, 2023. The following is a brief description of acts that were passed by the General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut’s K-12...more
The 2023 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly, which concluded on June 7, 2023, was not as groundbreaking as other recent legislative sessions, Many far-reaching bills that emerged from committee were not...more
6/19/2023
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Employee Benefits ,
General Assembly ,
Health Insurance ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Disputes ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
We have written about the General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee’s final flurry of activity approving and advancing bills out of committee. In addition to the bills that we have already summarized, here is a...more
4/24/2023
/ Connecticut ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Definition ,
General Assembly ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retirement ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
We have posted two previous articles about the General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee’s final flurry of activity approving and advancing bills out of committee. In addition to the bills that we have already...more
4/21/2023
/ Apprenticeships ,
Connecticut ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
General Assembly ,
Labor Reform ,
Premium Pay ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Employees ,
Public Employers ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Labor Laws ,
Teachers ,
Tribal Governments ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour
We have written about the General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee’s final flurry of activity of approving and advancing bills out of committee. In addition to the bills that we have already summarized, here...more
4/19/2023
/ Connecticut ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Discrimination ,
General Assembly ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Wage ,
Public Employees ,
Public Employers ,
Ridesharing ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage Theft