Amendments to the Pennsylvania School Code provide additional protections to students and families involved in residency disputes with their local school districts. The changes will take effect on September 16, 2024. The...more
As school districts around the Commonwealth embark on the 2023-24 school year, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has sprung a surprise by issuing direction that local educational entities (LEAs) must now provide...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a decision in the case of Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools that would appear on first reading to expand the types of cases in which parents of students with disabilities can skip the...more
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has signed into law several changes to the Pennsylvania School Code. Here are some highlights from Act 55 of 2022, and the impact it will have on school entities in the Commonwealth....more
7/20/2022
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In another setback to those seeking to challenge the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s mask mandate in schools, a federal court has found the order is constitutional.
The court noted in Oberheim v. Bason, No....more
In one of the first cases in Pennsylvania to address the great student masking debate, a federal court has rejected several arguments made by parents seeking to exempt their children from a universal mask requirement imposed...more
Throughout the country, the debate over requiring masks in schools often focuses on whether districts or states have the power to impose such mandates. But a case from Tennessee suggests that the more important question is...more
A Pennsylvania appellate court's decision last month established that workers now have a private right to sue employers for alleged discrimination under Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Law.
For school entities, the...more
Under a new law, Pennsylvania will add an option for an additional year of special education eligibility for students who would otherwise age-out this summer and permit parents of all students the option to repeat the grade...more
Revising its prior guidance, the Pennsylvania Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR) will permit attorney participation in special education mediations beginning March 1, 2021.
Pennsylvania was one of only two states that...more
Pennsylvania public school entities should examine their school safety policies dealing with sexual assault to ensure they comply with new requirements imposed by Act 110 of 2020, which took effect on January 3 of this...more
In a case of first impression, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled in Harrisburg Area Community College v. Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission that a nursing student at a community college did not have a right...more
The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania issued a decision finding that several of the executive orders issued by Governor Wolf in the effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are...more
The United States District Court for Western Pennsylvania issued a decision on September 14 that found a number of Governor Wolf’s executive orders related to efforts to mitigate COVID-19 unconstitutional. Among Wolf...more
As Pennsylvania schools grapple with the effects of coronavirus pandemic, they must plan for the needs of their special education students to avoid potential liabilities. The Department of Education issued guidance on March...more
Pennsylvania has expanded its prohibition of tobacco items in a school setting to include vaping devices, also known as electronic nicotine delivery systems or "ENDS."
Under Act 93 of 2019, it is now a summary offense for...more
A federal court in New Mexico has held that school entities do not have to permit the presence or use of medical marijuana on school grounds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the...more