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
Connecticut’s bullying laws, set forth in Connecticut General Statutes Sections 10-222d, 10-222g, 10-222k and the like, have long obligated school districts to remedy acts of bullying and teen dating violence. School...more
9/5/2023
/ Anti-Bullying Laws ,
Board of Education ,
Bullying ,
Connecticut ,
Dating Violence ,
Educational Institutions ,
Harassment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Safety ,
Risk Management ,
School Safety ,
Students
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 2022 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on May 4, 2022. 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
8/18/2022
/ Connecticut ,
Education Reform ,
FOIA ,
General Assembly ,
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) ,
Mental Health ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Public Acts ,
Public Schools ,
School Lunch Programs ,
Special Education ,
Students
The 2022 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on May 4, 2022. 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
8/15/2022
/ Community Development ,
Connecticut ,
Economic Development ,
Education Reform ,
General Assembly ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
Public Employees ,
Public Employers ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
School Transportation ,
Students
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
Governor Lamont has issued a new Executive Order that requires local and regional boards of education to continue providing eligible employees with certain paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. ...more
2/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EFMLA ,
Executive Orders ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Governor Lamont ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Paid Leave ,
Public Schools ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On June 29, 2020, the State of Connecticut issued “Connecticut’s Learning Plan to Learn and Grow Together” (the “Plan”). To say the least, the Plan sets forth a myriad of requirements that school districts must complete in...more
7/9/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Connecticut ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
School Districts ,
Sick Employees ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety
Schools have already been closed for two months due to COVID-19 and shall remain so until the end of the school year. The questions about when they will re-open keep coming with no definitive answer. But, perhaps there is...more
Less than a week ago, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES” Act). For school districts, the CARES Act required them to “the greatest extent practicable,” continue to...more
President Trump has just signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES” Act). We are still analyzing the full impact of the Act, but here is a brief summary of what it means to the public schools,...more
We all recognize the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) as the federal law that prohibits the release of personally identifiable student information without the consent of a parent or eligible student. ...more
School districts have been directed to be closed until at least March 31, 2020. The CIAC has cancelled winter sports playoffs and schools have cancelled extracurricular activities. ...more
3/18/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Distance Learning ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Flexible Work Arrangements ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
School Closures ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Telecommuting
Few topics have recently dominated the news as much as COVID-19, recognized widely as the Coronavirus. As the virus spreads, schools across Connecticut should be well-prepared to prevent the spread of this infectious...more
3/12/2020
/ Absenteeism ,
Bereavement Leave ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FERPA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Information Sharing ,
Information Technology ,
Interim Guidance ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
School Districts ,
Special Needs Children ,
Students ,
Workplace Safety
We have previously discussed the tension between a school district’s discipline for social media posts and the protections of the First Amendment. Indeed, as the United States Supreme Court said in Tinker v. Des Moines...more
The Connecticut General Assembly enacted a number of laws during its regular session that will impact Connecticut schools and public-sector employers. Among other things, bills have been enacted that...more
The United States Supreme Court stated nearly 50 years ago that public school students do not shed their rights to free speech at the schoolhouse gate. In Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. Cmty. Sch. Dist., the Court struck down...more
On February 22, 2017, President Trump’s administration decided to rescind, pending further review, the Obama administration’s federal guidance that requires transgender students receive access to the restrooms and locker...more
2/27/2017
/ Dear Colleague Letter ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Executive Orders ,
Gender Identity ,
Governor Malloy ,
Obama Administration ,
School Restrooms ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Title IX ,
Transgender ,
Trump Administration