On Jan. 12, 2024, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a new pay transparency act. The act takes effect on June 30, 2024, and requires D.C. employers to post salary ranges and benefits information for open positions,...more
On Sept. 19, 2023, the Virginia Court of Appeals held in Fogleman v. Commonwealth of Virginia, that the General Assembly has not waived sovereign immunity under the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA), either expressly or by...more
On Aug. 14, 2023, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education (DOJ and ED) issued guidance to institutions of higher learning concerning the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v....more
On July 3, 2023, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College (SFFA), a new challenge is arising related to collegiate admissions....more
7/7/2023
/ Affirmative Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
College Admissions ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Equal Protection ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Race Discrimination ,
SCOTUS ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Students for Fair Admissions v University of North Carolina ,
Title VI ,
Title VII
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the affirmative action student admissions practices at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in a pair of cases brought by Students for...more
7/6/2023
/ Affirmative Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
College Admissions ,
Colleges ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Equal Protection ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
SCOTUS ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Students for Fair Admissions v University of North Carolina ,
Title VI ,
Title VII
On June 13, 2023, the City of Norfolk Circuit Court held in Jordan v. Sch. Bd. of the City of Norfolk that sovereign immunity bars a plaintiff’s claims against the Norfolk City School Board for allegedly violating the...more
As social media and K-12 education issues continue to evolve, on April 24, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in a case concerning an interesting, yet important issue: Under the First Amendment, when can elected...more
On May 19, 2023, the Department of Education (ED) published in the Federal Register proposed regulations concerning gainful employment (GE), threatening to cut off federal financial aid for approximately 1,800 career training...more
On April 6, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Department of Education addressed the treatment of transgender students in sports.
Specifically, in West Virginia, et al. v. B.P.J., by her next friend and mother,...more
On April 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced in a blog post that it will delay the Sept. 1, 2023, effective date of its Dear Colleague Letter on third-party servicers and institutions (DCL). The new effective...more
Federal Student Aid’s Office of Enforcement announced a “secret shoppers” program as one of many tools to evaluate a college or university’s recruitment, enrollment, financial aid and other practices. The secret shoppers...more
On March 2, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced it will hold individuals representing corporations or other legal entities, including a member of the board of directors or a chief executive officer, personally...more
On Feb. 15, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance that significantly expands the definition of “third-party servicer” to include services completed by many online program managers (OPMs) and entities...more
On Jan. 13, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider whether the de minimis cost test for religious accommodations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should endure. The Supreme Court granted the petition...more
On Jan. 4, 2023, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals made two important findings in a class-action case seeking to compel the creation of a girls-only football team for high-school girls....more
On Nov. 8, 2022, Washington, D.C., voters overwhelmingly approved "Initiative 82," which, once certified and implemented, will eliminate the tip-credit system in D.C. With this new law, D.C. joins the ranks of seven states...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent guidance regarding withholding transcripts from students with debts revealed that the CFPB is using a broad definition of “private education loan” that may apply to the...more
Historically, most independent schools have not been subject to Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 because they do not accept federal funds. As a result, many independent schools carefully evaluate whether to...more
Students at Loyola University Chicago — like students at many institutions across the country — brought a putative class action suit against Loyola for breach of contract and unjust enrichment after Loyola suspended all...more
Newsworthy Highlights -
Company to Expand Clinical Trial of Cannabis Therapy for Tourette Syndrome. A pharmaceutical company focusing on the development of therapies to treat disorders of the central nervous system...more
On July 13, 2022, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser signed new employment protections into law. Although currently unfunded, the Cannabis Employment Protections Amendment Act of 2022 will prohibit employers from taking...more
The California State Senate’s education committee is set to vote on SB-1401, the College Athlete Race and Gender Equity Act, which would require colleges and universities to compensate athletes in their revenue-generating...more
On March 23, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced its intention to hold corporate owners, investors and controlling parties of private institutions of higher education directly liable for the school’s...more
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded on March 24, 2022, that the Board of Trustees for the Houston Community College System (HCC) did not violate the First Amendment when it censured one of its members....more
The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 28, 2022, denied a petition for writ of certiorari in an important ministerial exception case, Gordon College v. DeWeese-Boyd. The religious college had appealed a 2021 decision from the...more