On July 12, 2022, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) quietly updated its Q&A instructing employers as to when they may require an employee to undergo COVID-19 viral testing (i.e., a test, such as an...more
As we have discussed previously, Governor Lamont’s original Executive Order 13D mandating COVID-19 vaccination for most school employees raised numerous questions. In what appears to be an attempt to address the many...more
9/14/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Contractors ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On Friday, August 27, 2021, approximately 200 people joined us for a webinar on issues faced by Connecticut schools as they reopen this fall during the current COVID-19 pandemic. We covered topics such as mask mandates,...more
9/1/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
School Policies ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
In the next installment of what appears to be the ever-moving target of mandatory vaccinations for Connecticut school employees, the Governor issued Executive Order 13D (the “Order”) delineating the state’s requirements for...more
8/25/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Private Schools ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Contractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The 2021 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on June 9, 2021, but the primary source of action on education law issues was a special session of the General Assembly and ensuing “budget implementer”...more
8/10/2021
/ Charter Schools ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
General Assembly ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Native American Issues ,
Public Sector Unions ,
School Districts ,
Special Education ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Team Mascots ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States, many colleges have turned to mandatory student vaccination requirements in an attempt to return to in-person learning. Predictably, following directly behind...more
In what is believed to be the first court decision on the issue of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, the U.S. District Court for Southern Texas upheld a hospital’s policy requiring that all of its employees must be vaccinated...more
Friday (May 28, 2021), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued its long-awaited Guidance on mandatory vaccinations in the workplace. In the new Guidance, the EEOC answers many questions about when...more
6/1/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The new Title IX regulations addressing sexual harassment in elementary and secondary schools went into effect August 14, 2020. These regulations prescribe the exact way that schools must now address sexual harassment of...more
10/8/2020
/ Complaint Procedures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OCR ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
School Districts ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Title IX
On September 8, 2020, the EEOC once again updated its guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Coronavirus pandemic. EEOC Updated Guidance. The new document, through a question and answer format,...more
The U.S. DOL issued additional guidance on August 27, 2020 as to when employees may use paid Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) leave to care for their children under different COVID-related school models. ...more
9/3/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Distance Learning ,
Educational Institutions ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Hybrid Plan ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Parental Responsibilities ,
Remote Learning ,
Sick Leave ,
Students
Governors in many states, including Connecticut and New York, have issued Executive Orders that will result in non-essential businesses closing – or relying exclusively on employees working from home – for a period of time. ...more
As you are all aware, a basic educational requirement in the State of Connecticut is that each school district must make a minimum of 180 days of instruction available to students each school year. ...more
3/17/2020
/ Attendance ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Department of Education ,
Distance Learning ,
Educational Institutions ,
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) ,
IDEA ,
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
School Districts ,
Section 504 ,
Special Education ,
Students