Before the deadline for committee action, the General Assembly’s Education Committee voted favorably on and advanced out of committee a plethora of bills. Among the most noteworthy were: 1) a bill that would delay the...more
Before the deadline for committee action, the General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee voted favorably on a plethora of bills and advanced them out of committee. Among the most noteworthy were: 1) a bill...more
In representing primarily public sector bodies over most of my career, I have generally been in a position of advising clients in how to comply with Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) requests, and thus usually assist those...more
There are times where a public agency may get so caught up with solving an existing problem that it will lose sight of the need to comply fully with the Freedom of Information Act [“FOIA”] and thus create what could...more
3/25/2014
What happens when your agency’s lawyer sends out a confidential letter that is somehow leaked? A relatively recent decision by the Freedom of Information Commission [“FOIC”] appears to indicate that all is not lost, as...more
The General Assembly’s Education Committee is conducting a public hearing on March 3, 2014. The Committee will consider testimony on bills that, among other things: 1) require school districts to adopt policies or enter into...more
While the Freedom of Information Act [“FOIA”] generally seeks to provide access to records created by public agencies, and while anti-bullying laws require that parents be notified by a school district with regard to the...more
In a much ballyhooed case, certain residents and taxpayers of the City of Bridgeport brought a “quo warranto” action in the courts, challenging the qualifications of the City’s Superintendent of Schools (Paul Vallas) to hold...more
In these fiscal times, school districts are confronted with difficult choices in restructuring their teaching workforce, with districts often having to consider the elimination of teaching positions. A recent court case...more
The Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education (OCR) and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice recently released a joint “Dear Colleague Letter” (DCL) providing guidance on administering...more
On February 6, 2014, the 2014 session of the Connecticut General Assembly began. Since this is an election year, the session will be relatively short, with adjournment scheduled for May 7, 2014. We can expect a plethora of...more
As you may have learned through media reports or your favorite television cop show, allegations of misdeeds by police officers usually proceed through a police department’s “Internal Affairs” [“IA”] investigation process. ...more
We have all been emotionally touched by the tragedies in Columbine and Sandy Hook, not to mention workplace shootings such as those at Hartford Distributors and the Connecticut Lottery. In that context, employers (and...more
In a recent case, the Superior Court reminded us all about the limitations that exist under the so-called “personnel files” exception to the disclosure of records under Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). One...more
Regardless of whether one is a Miami Dolphins or NFL fan, the recent investigation by the NFL regarding allegations of bullying involving Jonathan Martin may tell a precautionary tale for all employers. Briefly, Martin left...more
Parties often include in separation agreements a confidentiality provision, along with a provision indicating that the agreement is not to be included in the soon-to be former employee’s personnel file. Sometimes, such...more
This Alert provides a general explanation of the recent legislative enactments that impact board of education policies. ...more
As of July 1, 2013 Boards of Education will no longer be allowed to use their AlertNow, e-mail, texting or other automated notification systems to notify parents or guardians of the time, date and location of budget...more