Alabama rolled out applications for its new school choice program earlier this year, and even the lawmakers behind it were surprised by the volume of submissions from families of K-12 students. That’s why the state nearly...more
When PowerSchool announced in January that it fell victim to a massive data breach at the end of 2024, it assured the thousands of schools and over 50 million students who use the education software that the matter had been...more
Another school year is winding down, and educational leaders perhaps have never been more ready for summer break. From the Trump administration’s significant policy shifts to deeply consequential litigation playing out to...more
5/12/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Best Practices ,
College Admissions ,
College Athletes ,
Colleges ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Education ,
Diversity ,
Educational Institutions ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Foreign Students ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Job Applicants ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
NLRB ,
Professors ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
School Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Technology ,
Title IX ,
Title VI ,
Trump Administration ,
Universities ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour
President Trump just issued a wave of education-related executive orders – seven, to be exact – impacting both higher education and K-12 schools. Educational institutions need to tune in and catch up, and we’ve compiled this...more
4/28/2025
/ Accreditation ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Colleges ,
Discipline ,
Disparate Impact ,
Diversity ,
Educational Institutions ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Foreign Investment ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Skilled Laborers ,
Students ,
Trump Administration ,
Universities
The job interview is a crucial factor in maintaining a school’s community, identity, and safety. But it isn’t just a chance to vet applicants for compatibility with school culture and mission – it’s also when your school can...more
3/4/2025
/ Bias ,
Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Interviews ,
Job Applicants ,
Job Descriptions ,
Professors ,
Recruitment Policies ,
School Districts ,
Teachers ,
Universities
Massive policy shifts and executive action from the White House in the early days of the new Trump administration necessitate that K-12 school administrators proactively prepare for interactions with immigration authorities...more
2/7/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Deportation ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Exchange Students ,
Foreign Students ,
Form I-9 ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Private Schools ,
Raids ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
SEVP ,
Student Records ,
Trump Administration ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Warrants
The flurry of executive orders signed by President Trump during his first few days of his second administration will have a profound impact on K-12 school communities across the country. They not only touch on immigration...more
1/29/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Executive Orders ,
Form I-9 ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Identity ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Raids ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
School Restrooms ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Transgender ,
Trump Administration
Our Education thought leaders have pulled together their top predictions for the new year so that higher education institutions and K-12 private and independent schools can get a running start to 2025....more
1/20/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Colleges ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Education ,
Diversity ,
Educational Institutions ,
Immigration Reform ,
Parental Rights ,
Religious Schools ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Title IX ,
Universities
The country’s largest provider of cloud-based education software for K-12 schools announced on January 7 that it fell victim to a massive data breach – which may lead to questions about the implications for your school....more
1/13/2025
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Hackers ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Notification Requirements ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
School Districts ,
Student Records ,
Teachers
A federal judge in Massachusetts recently upheld a school district’s decision to discipline a student for using artificial intelligence for a class project, setting some good ground rules for how your school might best...more
Schools are experiencing another round of legal whiplash when it comes to employee compensation. More than four months after the first part of the rule went into effect, and less than two months before the full effective...more
States and public school districts across the country are pushing for cellphone bans in schools, claiming that the devices cause major classroom distractions and other negative effects on students. As a growing number of...more
As you recover from another whirlwind of a school year, we hope you can take some time to relax and enjoy your summer break. The next few months will be the perfect time to – at your leisure – catch up on this past year’s...more
6/3/2024
/ Affirmative Action ,
College Admissions ,
Colleges ,
Department of Education ,
Diversity ,
Due Process ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Hate Crimes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
LGBTQ ,
NCAA ,
New Regulations ,
New Rules ,
NLRB ,
Over-Time ,
Private Schools ,
Professors ,
Protests ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Salaried Employees ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
School Safety ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Student Athletes ,
Student Enrollment ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Title IX ,
Title IX Coordinator ,
Universities ,
Wage and Hour
A new federal rule will soon make millions of salaried workers eligible for overtime pay – forcing K-12 independent schools to act quickly to evaluate which employees are covered in order to comply, while balancing budgetary...more
5/3/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Minimum Salary ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
School Districts ,
Teachers ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
When I reflect on the relationship that our firm has with our clients, I’m most proud of the fact that you can always count on us. That often means defending complex litigation, steering you through regulatory threats,...more
12/4/2023
/ 401k ,
Acquisitions ,
Affirmative Action ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bias ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Car Dealerships ,
Chevron Deference ,
Child Labor ,
College Admissions ,
Colleges ,
Construction Industry ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Deletion ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
E-Verify ,
Educational Institutions ,
EEO-1 ,
Electronic Records ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
EU ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
International Labor Laws ,
Joint Employers ,
Jury Verdicts ,
L-1 Visas ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
Labor Shortage ,
Manufacturing Employers ,
Mergers ,
Mexico ,
Name and Likeness ,
New Legislation ,
New Rules ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
OFCCP ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Pay Data ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Transparency ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Privacy Laws ,
Professional Employer Organization ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Remote Working ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Retirement Plan ,
Salaried Employees ,
Scheduling Letters ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
SCOTUS ,
SECURE Act ,
Severance Agreements ,
Sports ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State Labor Laws ,
State of Emergency ,
Student Athletes ,
Student Loans ,
Students ,
Tip Credit ,
Title IX ,
Trade Secrets ,
Transgender ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions ,
Universities ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
As schools prepare for the upcoming academic year, you should consider the impact of Florida’s new law addressing locker room and bathroom use. The Safety in Private Spaces Act was recently signed into law by Governor...more
The possibility of a school shooting is terrifying, and the consequences can be heartbreaking. Unfortunately, however, recent events have shown that an active shooting can occur almost anywhere – with schools a frequent...more
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
A Florida public school’s transgender bathroom ban was recently upheld by a federal appeals court, leading to a circuit split that may need to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Specifically, in a 7-4 ruling, the 11th...more
4/13/2023
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Equal Protection ,
Gender Identity ,
LGBTQ ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
School Restrooms ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Students ,
Title IX ,
Transgender
The SCOTUS recently ruled in favor of a public high school football coach who lost his job after praying in front of students at the 50-yard line following the school’s football games. The Court held that the coach did not...more
6/28/2022
/ Coaches ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Establishment Clause ,
First Amendment ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Free Speech ,
Prayer ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
SCOTUS ,
Students
As we approach the time of year when schools typically issue employment contracts, schools should be aware that Congress recently passed the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act.” This new...more
3/2/2022
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
New Legislation ,
School Districts ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Universities
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
In response to several Florida school boards considering mask mandates in advance of school openings, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just signed an executive order threatening to withhold state funds from any school boards...more
8/2/2021
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Education ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor DeSantis ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
Minor Children ,
Parental Rights ,
Private Schools ,
Public Schools ,
School Boards ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
State Funding ,
State Health Departments ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Workplace Safety
Social media has transformed how we interact online and engage with our communities with the average person spending over six hours a day online. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an even greater increase...more
6/2/2021
/ Best Practices ,
Colleges ,
Cyberbullying ,
Discipline ,
Educational Institutions ,
Handbooks ,
Investigations ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
Social Media ,
Social Media Policy ,
Students ,
Universities
2020 has been a tumultuous year, but it has taught us to better prepare for the future and how to better enable schools to maintain their operations in the face of these unprecedented challenges. As schools faced shutdown...more
12/1/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Distance Learning ,
Educational Institutions ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Liquidated Damages ,
Refunds ,
Remote Learning ,
School Closures ,
School Districts ,
Student Enrollment ,
Students ,
Tuition ,
Universities