An interesting question is now pending before the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”): Are labor disputes at charter schools “sufficiently substantial” to effect interstate commerce? If the answer is yes then the...more
The 2018-19 season for certified Connecticut teacher and administrator contract negotiations is just about officially in the books. While a handful of contracts have yet to be reported, this year’s certified negotiation...more
It’s been a little over four months since the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Janus v. AFSCME Co. 31, 585 U.S. ___ (2018). In Janus, as you’ll recall, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision held that agency...more
11/15/2018
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Fair Share Contribution ,
First Amendment ,
Janus v AFSCME ,
Non-Union ,
Payroll Deductions ,
Public Sector Unions ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Stare Decisis ,
Union Dues
The wait is over. For better or worse, this morning the United States Supreme Court issued what may well prove to be the most important public-sector labor law decision of the last 50 years. By a 5-4 majority the Supreme...more
6/28/2018
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Fair Share Contribution ,
First Amendment ,
Janus v AFSCME ,
Non-Union ,
Payroll Deductions ,
Public Sector Unions ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Stare Decisis ,
Union Dues
Student data privacy has been a hot legislative topic in recent years and more changes are now on the way. On June 7, 2018 Governor Malloy signed into law Public Act 18-125: An Act Concerning Revisions to the Student Privacy...more
On Wednesday, January 17, 2018, a divided Connecticut Supreme Court issued a seminal decision in the long-running state education case Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, Inc. v. Rell (“CCJEF II”). In an...more
Did Halloween come early this year? Well it just may have for Connecticut’s public-sector unions. On September 28th, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and...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
It’s been almost exactly a year since Public Act 16-67 – officially entitled “An Act Concerning the Disclosure of Certain Education Personnel Records, Criminal Penalties for Threatening in Educational Settings and the...more
Has your district finished its 2016 homework? Is the date June 30, 2017, circled on your calendar? If not, maybe it should be because June 30, 2017, is the deadline by which all local educational agencies that participate...more
Well here we are. We will soon have a new president. As we move away from the “hows” and “whys” of the election and on to the “whats” of President-Elect Trump’s impending presidency there are a wide-number of education law...more
Have we reached a judicial tipping point on transgender student bathroom and locker room access issues? Perhaps we have.
On April 19, 2016, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals – the federal circuit court with...more
With the start of a new school year, students are not the only ones who have homework. To the contrary, school board members and their respective districts’ central office administrators have their own assignment -- ensuring...more
$4.48 million. That’s how much the Pine Bush School District in central-New York just agreed to pay to settle a lawsuit brought by a group of current and former students who alleged that school administrators were...more
7/20/2015
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Board of Education ,
Bullying ,
Discrimination ,
Educational Institutions ,
Harassment ,
Investigations ,
Personal Liability ,
Protected Class ,
Recidivism ,
Religious Discrimination ,
School Districts ,
Settlement ,
Students ,
Title IX ,
Title VI ,
Training
The Superior Court’s decision in City of Waterbury v. Connecticut Alliance of City Police, could mark the emergence of a new standard of impartiality for party-selected arbitrators in Municipal Employee Relations Act [“MERA”]...more
This one should be pretty obvious, but for the record, it’s never a good idea to destroy potential evidence.
For better or worse, however, it looks like the possible destruction of evidence will now be the focal point...more
On August 11, 2014, the State Department of Education [“SDE”] announced via a press release that it would immediately implement a series of policy changes designed to “ensure that all charter schools, operate according to...more
This Alert is intended to give a general explanation of 2014 legislative enactments of the Connecticut General Assembly that may impact your board of education policies. For more detailed and individualized assistance with...more
In This Issue:
- Interpreters Standards For Students With Hearing Impairments
- Preschool And DCF
- Health Assessment Forms for Use by Youth Camps and Day Care Providers
- English Language Learner...more
On May 12, 2014, the Connecticut Secretary of State’s website posted the Department of Labor’s Family and Medical Leave for School Paraprofessionals final regulations. Under the new regulations, Connecticut school districts...more
On April 29, 2014, the State Senate unanimously passed House Bill 5029, An Act Concerning Sexual Assault, Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence on Campus. Two weeks earlier the House of Representatives passed the same...more
The Connecticut General Assembly’s Legislative Regulation Review Committee will consider the Department of Labor’s proposed paraprofessional Family Medical Leave Act, or “FMLA” regulations at its April 22, 2014 meeting....more
How can Connecticut schools best accommodate transgender students? -
While it is fair to say that this is not the sort of question that most superintendents, college administrators and board of education members would...more
Connecticut’s roll-out of the Common Core State Standards has been, to put it mildly, controversial. Critics of Common Core have decried what they perceive as the loss of local pedagogical control in favor of state and...more
The Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education (OCR) and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice recently released a joint “Dear Colleague Letter” (DCL) providing guidance on administering...more