Florida lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday that will make it a crime for individuals to use certain bathrooms that don’t align with their gender at birth, raising many questions for schools, public employers, and businesses...more
5/5/2023
/ Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Florida ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Identity ,
New Legislation ,
Public Employers ,
Rules of Professional Conduct ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Universities
While the great majority of schools will not be requiring their students or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 this coming school year, that’s not necessarily true for schools in the Northeast and on the West Coast....more
9/7/2022
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Distance Learning ,
Educational Institutions ,
Masks ,
Private Schools ,
Professors ,
Public Schools ,
Religious Schools ,
Remote Learning ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Universities ,
Vaccinations
In a decision that should put the nation’s private and independent school community on notice, a federal judge in Baltimore recently ruled that a school’s nonprofit status in and of itself constituted the receipt of federal...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic persists and a new academic year is upon us, private and independent schools are understandably exhausted by the additional obligations imposed upon them over the last two years. Many are resistant to...more
7/26/2022
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Universities ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
We recently provided our predictions for what education employers could expect to see in the area of workplace law over the next year as part of our FP Forecast series – but we had too many insights to fit into that edition....more
4/29/2022
/ Child Abuse ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender Identity ,
Name and Likeness ,
Private Schools ,
Public Schools ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Schools ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Student Athletes ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Transgender ,
Wage and Hour
Educational institutions across the country are facing an upcoming compliance deadline as the mandate-or-test workplace vaccine emergency rule will soon take effect (pending the outcome of ongoing litigation). The rule will...more
11/10/2021
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
OSHA ,
Professors ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Universities ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just substantially relaxed its pandemic guidance for K-12 schools. While certain restrictions remain and the guidance may continue to evolve in the coming months,...more
7/13/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations
After unanimous approval by both Florida’s Senate and House, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Educator Conduct Act on June 21, amending several sections of the state’s K-20 Education Code and imposing new statutory...more
6/24/2021
/ Background Checks ,
Charter Schools ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Department of Education ,
Disqualification ,
Employee Training ,
Ethical Standards ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
Posting Requirements ,
Private Schools ,
Public Schools ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Scholarships ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Teachers
There is no doubt that 2020 brought huge challenges for schools. As we near the end of the first semester and plan for the rest of the 2020-2021 school year and beyond, there are some lessons we can learn, some processes to...more
11/30/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employment Contract ,
Gender Identity ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Social Justice Issues ,
Student Enrollment ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Universities ,
Wage and Hour
The EEOC recently released a draft of its updated guidance on religious discrimination, which – if adopted and finalized – could alter the legal standards applied in workplace disputes for the nation’s employers generally and...more
11/24/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Rights ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Guidance Update ,
LGBTQ ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v Morrissey-Berru ,
Public Comment ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Expression ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
Religious Workers ,
School Policies ,
Title VII
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released updated guidance on COVID-19 testing protocols for K-12 schools, making clear that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) permits schools to...more
As the country begins to re-emerge amid the COVID-19 pandemic, whether and when any particular school will be ready to return for the upcoming school year and at what level will depend on the individual school, its location,...more
5/22/2020
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Professors ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Social Distancing ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Tuition ,
Universities ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently addressed the possible spread of COVID-2019 coronavirus across the United States and outlined contingency recommendations for schools and businesses. To help schools think...more
3/3/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Universities ,
Workplace Safety
A student tells the dean of your high school that there is a girl in the library who seems very ill. The dean finds the ill student with her head down, moaning. He asks her what’s wrong, and the student says she vaped and...more
3/5/2018
/ Discipline ,
Drug Possession ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Educational Institutions ,
Marijuana ,
Minors ,
School Policies ,
School Safety ,
Students ,
Tobacco ,
Vaporizers