The “budget implementer” bill that was passed in June amends Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), preserving, at least temporarily, elements of pandemic-era Executive Orders concerning “remote” and “hybrid”...more
On September 10, 2021, Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 13G, which set forth a revised COVID-19 vaccination mandate for Connecticut school employees (and childcare facilities). As my colleague, Melinda Kaufmann noted,...more
9/21/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Private Schools ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On Friday, August 27, 2021, approximately 200 people joined us for a webinar on issues faced by Connecticut schools as they reopen this fall during the current COVID-19 pandemic. We covered topics such as mask mandates,...more
9/1/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On Wednesday, August 25, 2021, the Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE) issued “Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Vaccinations for Covered Workers in Schools.” This guidance from the SDE addresses Governor Ned...more
8/27/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Screening Procedures ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On August 19, 2021, the Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE) issued its much awaited “Adapt Advance Achieve” guidance on COVID-19 mitigation strategies for Connecticut’s schools for the fall of 2021. This year’s...more
8/24/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Educational Institutions ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Safety Standards ,
Students ,
Workplace Safety
Recently, my law partner, Zachary D. Schurin, wrote about Governor Lamont latest/revised Executive Order – Executive Order #13A– concerning the wearing of masks (and/or other cloth facial coverings). While Executive Order...more
8/16/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Private Schools ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
Workplace Safety
The 2021 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on June 9, 2021, but the primary source of action on education law issues was a special session of the General Assembly and ensuing “budget implementer”...more
8/10/2021
/ Charter Schools ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
General Assembly ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Native American Issues ,
Public Sector Unions ,
School Districts ,
Special Education ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Team Mascots ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
The 2021 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on June 9, 2021, and this office provided a summary of relevant employment related legislation. Subsequently, a “Special Session” took place and...more
7/23/2021
/ Breastfeeding ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
General Assembly ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
Layoffs ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Sector Unions ,
Recreational Use ,
Right of Recall ,
Salaried Employees ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The 2021 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on June 9, 2021. While not as groundbreaking as the last full legislative session in 2019, important bills regarding public sector union rights, racial...more
6/17/2021
/ Breastfeeding ,
Employee Rights ,
General Assembly ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Labor Reform ,
Layoffs ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Sector Unions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
In addition to bills described in our last post, the General Assembly’s Education Committee approved and advanced out of committee the following funding-related and “omnibus” bills, including bills reaffirming the Committee’s...more
5/10/2021
/ Construction Project ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Federal Funding ,
General Assembly ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Funding ,
Students
Our two prior blog posts, found here and here, covered 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...more
5/6/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Domestic Workers ,
General Assembly ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
OSHA ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Employees ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Unemployment Benefits
The General Assembly’s Education Committee likely finished up its work for this legislative session and approved a final flurry of bills prior to its April 6, 2021 deadline for approving and advancing bills out of committee....more
RELIANCE UPON PRIOR CRIMINAL RECORDS BY EMPLOYERS: H.B. No. 6474 (“An Act Concerning Collateral Employment Consequences Of A Criminal Record”) would, among other things, prohibit all employers from denying employment on the...more
5/3/2021
/ Ban the Box ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
General Assembly ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Public Sector Unions ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Work Schedules
As we were all reminded when discussing the COVID-19 vaccine, https://schoollaw.pullcomblog.com/archives/covid-19-testing-and-eventually-hopefully-vaccines-what-can-the-schools-require/ Connecticut law (via Connecticut...more
Following its initial action; https://workingtogether.pullcomblog.com/archives/latest-developments-from-the-connecticut-general-assembly-the-labor-and-public-employees-committee-begins-to-speak-3/; the General Assembly’s...more
4/26/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Essential Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Layoffs ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Masks ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Remote Working ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
On April 6, 2021, Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 10E, which pertains to 1) absentee voting, and 2) municipal and regional school district budget adoption timelines. ABSENTEE BALLOTS: Executive Order 10E largely...more
As our regular Education Law Notes’ readers know, we have provided cascades’ worth of updates on federal and state COVID-19 guidance during this year long pandemic. There are many signs of optimism, as infection rates drop,...more
Last week, we wrote about the continuing expansion of and revisions to the COVID-19 vaccination schedules in Connecticut in this blog post. Perhaps due to a combination of the expansion of vaccination availability and the...more
Until recently, sparse access to the COVID-19 vaccines has rendered discussion of vaccination policies a distant and theoretical exercise for many organizations. The thought process among hesitant employers has largely been...more
At its February 18, 2021 meeting, the 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 voted favorably on and...more
3/2/2021
/ Breastfeeding ,
Call Centers ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pensions ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Salaried Employees ,
Wage and Hour
On Tuesday, February 9, 2021, the General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee will conduct a public hearing on numerous proposed bills. The hearing will take place at 10:00 A.M. via Zoom and YouTube Live (in...more
2/9/2021
/ Breastfeeding ,
Employee Rights ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Hearing ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wages
Last week, in our sister blog, Education Law Notes, we addressed the ability of an employer to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for its staff. As discussed in that post, we were awaiting updated federal guidance that would...more
12/18/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
We are now entering the dark winter of the COVID-19 crisis; at the same time, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, Connecticut’s educational institutions (and employers in general) must consider how...more
12/8/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Life Sciences ,
Screening Procedures ,
Students ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
As an attorney representing Connecticut educational institutions (and employers in general), I am receiving numerous calls from clients with respect to how to properly address the possibility that the upcoming Thanksgiving...more
11/9/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Health and Safety ,
Holidays ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Screening Procedures ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Thanksgiving ,
Traveling Employee ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
To the shock of no one, the guidance concerning the use of in-person, “hybrid” and remote learning models in the Connecticut schools during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. This is not completely...more