Last week, in our sister blog, Education Law Notes, we addressed the ability of an employer to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for its staff. As discussed in that post, we were awaiting updated federal guidance that would...more
12/18/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
We are now entering the dark winter of the COVID-19 crisis; at the same time, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, Connecticut’s educational institutions (and employers in general) must consider how...more
12/8/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Life Sciences ,
Screening Procedures ,
Students ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
As an attorney representing Connecticut educational institutions (and employers in general), I am receiving numerous calls from clients with respect to how to properly address the possibility that the upcoming Thanksgiving...more
11/9/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Health and Safety ,
Holidays ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Screening Procedures ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Thanksgiving ,
Traveling Employee ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
To the shock of no one, the guidance concerning the use of in-person, “hybrid” and remote learning models in the Connecticut schools during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. This is not completely...more
Shortly after declaring a State of Emergency with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in light of the desire to avoid large in-person gatherings, Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 7B, which provides that the in-person...more
As an attorney representing Connecticut employers, I have received numerous calls from clients concerning how to properly respond to COVID-19 incidents. Even now, seven months since the start of the pandemic and four months...more
We have written repeatedly in these pages about the evolving guidance from Connecticut’s State Department of Education (SDE) with respect to the wearing of masks (and face coverings) in the schools...more
After declaring a State of Emergency with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor has issued a series of evolving Executive Orders (specifically, Executive Orders 7, 7D, 7N, 7TT, and 7ZZ) addressing restrictions on...more
Now that Connecticut’s schools are reopening, the million-dollar question is what happens when there is the (unfortunate) inevitable brush with COVID-19. Schools must balance the competing need to safeguard the health and...more
On August 31, 2020, the State Department of Education (SDE) issued via “Addendum 11” revised “Interim Guidance” on the wearing of masks in Connecticut’s schools....more
On August 14, 2020, the Governor’s office issued Executive Order 7NNN, which addressed the mandatory wearing of masks and other face coverings in public (with a limited exception for those with a medical condition). ...more
9/4/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interim Guidance ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Social Distancing ,
Students
Back on April 17, 2020, Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 7BB generally requiring persons to wear “face-coverings” (e.g., masks) in public. The Order created an exemption to the obligation to use a mask or cloth face...more
8/19/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Required Documentation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
To the shock of no one, both the state and federal governments continue to revise their guidance concerning the reopening of the schools. On the date (July 24, 2020) that public schools were supposed to file their reopening...more
Connecticut’s schools have the unenviable task of having to plan for the “reopening” of schools while dealing with ever-shifting (and apparently end-result driven) federal and state guidance. ...more
Schools have already been closed for two months due to COVID-19 and shall remain so until the end of the school year. The questions about when they will re-open keep coming with no definitive answer. But, perhaps there is...more
For about 20 years, I have been the Connecticut Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section Legislative Liaison, and since I have been at Pullman & Comley, I have written in this blog about developments at the...more
6/5/2020
/ Arbitration ,
Breastfeeding ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Rights ,
Fair Workweek ,
General Assembly ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Probate Courts ,
Public Employees ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Stop Work Orders ,
Unions
On May 14, 2020, Governor Lamont signed Executive Order 7OO (“EO 7OO”), which addresses the procedures and scheduling for certain local appointments and elections requiring in-person voting. ...more
We recently wrote a prior alert about Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 7BB (“the Order”) that generally requires persons to wear “face-coverings” (such as masks) in public. ...more
Over the last month, since the passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), the U. S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has issued several forms of guidance for implementing the Act’s grant of ...more
We recently wrote a prior alert about Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 7BB (“the Order”) requiring persons to wear “face-coverings” (such as masks) in public. ...more
On Friday afternoon (April 17, 2020), Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 7BB (“the Order”) requiring persons to wear “face-coverings” (e.g., masks) in public, effective as of 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20, 2020. ...more
President Trump has just signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES” Act). We are still analyzing the full impact of the Act, but here is a brief summary of what it means to the public schools,...more
Usually, this is a busy time for municipalities and school districts, as they are in the process of crafting and seeking approval of their budgets for the ensuing fiscal year. Depending on the particular applicable charter...more
As you may have heard, late yesterday afternoon, Governor Lamont issued his latest executive order (the “Executive Order”) with respect to the COVID-19 crisis which will have a significant impact on businesses throughout our...more
While there are more urgent public health issues to consider, the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused practical concerns regarding how public agencies can comply with Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act...more
3/18/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Executive Orders ,
FOIA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Open Meetings Act ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Meetings ,
State and Local Government