Yesterday, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a revised version of HB 1167, which provides paid administrative leave, with no deduction of sick leave days, to fully vaccinated teachers for absences related to COVID-19....more
4/6/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Illinois ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
School Districts ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Schools and districts throughout the State – and country – are beginning this school week on the heels of a flurry of announcements made last Friday by the CDC, the Illinois Supreme Court, Governor Pritzker and ISBE,...more
2/28/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Illinois ,
Infectious Diseases ,
ISBE ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
Students ,
TRO ,
Workplace Safety
In the wake of last week’s Appellate Court ruling, Governor Pritzker and the other state defendants have taken their appeal of the February 4, 2022 TRO regarding school COVID-19 mitigation measures to the Illinois Supreme...more
2/28/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Governor Pritzker ,
Health and Safety ,
IL Supreme Court ,
Illinois ,
Leave to Appeal ,
Masks ,
Mootness ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
Students ,
TRO ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On Friday, a court ruling in Springfield resulted in a temporary restraining order enjoining the Governor from enforcing certain COVID-19 mitigation measures including universal masking. Approximately 150 of Illinois’ 840...more
2/7/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
School Districts ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
TRO ,
Workplace Safety
154 school districts, Governor Pritzker, IDPH and ISBE have been sued in an attempt to abolish school district masking and quarantine requirements. The complaint was filed on October 20, 2021 in Macoupin County Circuit Court....more
As promised, following our October 29 alert we more closely examined the conflict between the Governor’s order delaying basketball to Spring and the IHSA’s decision to proceed as scheduled in November. Our review identified a...more
In this episode, we discuss the most top-of-mind issues and lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis....more
10/8/2020
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Remote Learning ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Universities
School leaders have always served a crucial role in communities, and we can’t imagine anyone managing the Coronavirus crisis without them. In this episode, our regular attorney panelists Shelli Anderson, Nicki Bazer, Jennifer...more
On August 27, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0591, which added Section 24A-5.5 to the School Code. Section 24A-5.5 requires school districts to create an appeals process for teachers who receive...more
Governor JB Pritzker’s recent order that all K-12 schools in Illinois be closed between March 17 and March 30 has left school districts scrambling to prepare to close school tomorrow. On Saturday, March 14, ISBE updated its...more
3/17/2020
/ Act of God ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Educational Institutions ,
IEA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
ISBE ,
Public Health ,
School Closures ,
School Districts ,
Special Education ,
Students ,
Wage and Hour
The Illinois Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in a case addressing restrictions on school district employee sick leave for the birth of a child under Section 24-6 of the Illinois School Code. ...more
Decisions on reductions in force in school districts are not common in Illinois, so a recent opinion from the Fourth District Appellate Court warrants brief mention. The issue in a recent case, Nafziger v. Board of Education...more
On August 27, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0591 (formerly Senate Bill 1213), creating an appeals process for teachers who receive unsatisfactory summative ratings. Beginning with the 2019-2020 school...more
The Supreme Court recently declined to hear a case involving a public school district that fired its football coach for kneeling and praying on the football field after games. ...more
In one of the first teacher dismissal decisions of 2017, school districts across the state of Illinois scored a victory as an independent hearing officer upheld the dismissal of a tenured teacher for improperly assisting...more