Social media has made it much easier to disseminate hurtful criticisms about teachers, principals, superintendents and even board of education members, and the good people of Nutmeg are no exception....more
Due to the situation-specific nature of parental involvement in educational decisions, nonparticipation in one decision due to a procedural inadequacy is not automatically a major barrier to a parent’s input in the overall...more
Despite being just a few months old, Senate Bill 29 (SB 29) – a significant piece of student data privacy legislation – will soon look quite different. On December 4, both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House unanimously passed...more
Georgia school districts are on track this calendar year to see a sharp uptick in the number of student discipline decisions being reversed on appeal by the Georgia State Board of Education. While each case is...more
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
The long-anticipated state biennial budget (Ohio House Bill 33) is headed to the Governor for approval. The Bill contains significant changes for Ohio schools; below is a summary of those changes. Also, be on the lookout for...more
Although school districts evaluate residency claims on an almost daily basis, it is rare for an appellate court to weigh in on the standards that schools should use for that analysis. In a recent decision, Gwozdz v. Board of...more
This 14th edition of Unprecedented, our weekly update on COVID-19-related litigation, showcases new and evolving trends. Employers are facing claims for both doing too much and too little in response to the COVID-19 pandemic....more
When the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion several weeks ago upholding a public school district’s policy allowing transgender students to use facilities that match their gender identity, it was just the latest...more
In response to outcry from educators in and outside of Illinois about the legitimate need to use prone and supine restraint for certain diverse learners and the lack of notice to allow teams to identify alternative...more
Federal Updates - Last week, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent letters to numerous education technology companies expressing concern about “vast amount of data being...more
North Carolina Legislators returned to Raleigh last week for their “short session” with a focus on revising the State budget bill passed last year. There was not much formal action in the two days the legislators returned to...more
On Thursday, March 8, 2018, the General Assembly’s Education Committee will conduct a public hearing on the following proposed bills...more
An open letter - In light of recent events, schools across New York and the country are preparing for a student demonstration that could have millions joining a walkout. There are many stakeholders- students, parents,...more
We have previously written in these pages about the development of “guidelines” or “standards” by the State Board of Education for the provision of educational opportunities for expelled students. Having had just a (teeny)...more
While education issues are expected to be major priorities in Congress throughout 2018, Congressional leadership left town last year still unable to come to an agreement on the funding of Cost Sharing Reductions (CSRs) and...more
In 2016, Connecticut’s General Assembly passed Public Act 16-147: AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE POLICY AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. This Act made several changes to school discipline laws which...more
Court Affirmed Relief for Transgender Student's Access to School Bathrooms in Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified School District No. 1 Board of Education, et al....more
Concluding what must be one of the oddest public school disputes in recent memory, the Sarasota County Board of Education in Florida has agreed to resolve a lawsuit brought by three sets of parents, each of whom claimed that...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
Earlier this month, the Illinois Appellate Court (First District) issued an opinion addressing a number of important student discipline and executive employment issues. Because the Appellate Court agreed with the trial court...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
In April, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) amended its 2010 guidance on self-administration of medication. Specifically, the new guidance document focuses on recent updates to Section 22-30 of the School Code (105...more
With each new year, it seems as if Connecticut legislators collectively agree to the same resolution – create new legal obligations for local and regional school boards. This year is no different. Although passed in early...more
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides that during the pendency of a dispute, a student must remain in his/her “then-current educational placement”; this is known as stay put. The IDEA does not,...more