On March 23, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed into law amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) that substantially limit employers’ ability to consider an applicant or employee’s criminal history. ...more
3/29/2021
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Our Franczek team received many inquiries about staffing options for classrooms where the teacher of record is teaching remotely. While many districts are staffing these classrooms with licensed paraprofessionals, the...more
On May 23, the Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill 2135, which in part amended the Open Meetings Act to permit, and set conditions for, conducting board meetings by audio or video conference without the physical...more
School districts across the country are facing uncertainty when it comes to the legal rights of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming students. A lawsuit in Connecticut and a bill in Arizona, for instance, aim to...more
3/11/2020
/ Binary Options ,
Educational Institutions ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
Gender Identity ,
ISBE ,
LGBTQ ,
School Districts ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
State and Local Government ,
Students ,
Transgender
As we reported in December 2018, changes to the length of the instructional day for students in Illinois brought confusion and concern. Public Act 100-0465, or the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act, removed...more
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently released proposed non-regulatory guidance addressing school district compliance with the requirement that federal funds "supplement, and do not supplant” state and local funds...more
Although months have passed since a new law addressing public education funding in Illinois was signed, confusion lingers over the impact of the law on the instructional day for students....more
Starting on August 1st, students with medical marijuana cards may be administered cannabis products at school.
Known as Ashley’s Law, the School Code now allows students to be given medical cannabis infused products at...more
8/10/2018
/ Charter Schools ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Educational Institutions ,
Healthcare ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Private Schools ,
Public Schools ,
State and Local Government ,
Students
In the last month and a half of 2017, the Public Access Counselor of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office issued three binding opinions, one addressing the Open Meetings Act (OMA) and two addressing the Freedom of...more
Over the past few years there has been no shortage of FOIA requests and media attention on how school districts and other units of local government spend or reimburse spending on conferences, dining, and travel. Last week...more