On May 22, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a per curiam decision in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, resulting in a 4-4 split due to the recusal of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The Court’s split decision...more
Gov. Shapiro Launches “Deliberative Polling” to Foster Bipartisan Dialogue -Governor Josh Shapiro (D) launched a three-day deliberative polling event in Philadelphia aimed at encouraging informed, cross-partisan discussions...more
The State of Oklahoma has a charter school law similar in many respects to New York’s Charter Schools Act. Like in New York, Oklahoma charter schools are authorized by a state board via charter agreements between the state...more
In a one-sentence, 4-to-4 per curiam decision, the Supreme Court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling that approval of a religious school's participation in the state's charter school program would violate the...more
On May 22, 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued a one-sentence order affirming the judgment of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in the consolidated cases of Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, and St....more
Welcome to our fourth issue of The Academic Advisor for 2025. In this edition, we cover the following topics of interest for schools, institutions of higher education, and other education-focused organizations: - How a...more
On March 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order (“EO”) titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities,” directing the Secretary of Education to undertake all...more
On Jan. 29, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” executive order (EO) and the “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families” EO, directing federal agencies to...more
On January 24, 2025, the United States Supreme Court granted two petitions for certiorari in the cases of Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond,...more
By law, public schools in the United States must provide services and support for students with special needs. However, some families find that an alternative to public schooling, known as microschools, better suits their...more
PDE PUBLISHES 2022–2023 REPORT OF EXPENDITURES RELATING TO EXCEPTIONAL PENNSYLVANIA STUDENTS - Act 16 of 2000, in part, amended Section 1372 of the Public School Code of 1949, and it requires the Pennsylvania Department of...more
A law signed on Monday by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro allocates $100 million to the School Safety & Mental Health grant program that can be used by schools to purchase secure, lockable smartphone bags students will use to...more
Starting in the upcoming 2024-25 school year, new requirements are going into effect for elementary school recess in California, including at charter schools. These changes will impact public schools that offer recess in...more
In this episode of On Record PR, Gina Rubel goes on record with Patricia Hennessy, Partner at Barton Gilman, to discuss the wide range of legal tools education lawyers employ to serve the needs of children. Pat is co-chair of...more
To follow-up on our annual School Law legislative update, over the next few weeks we will be highlighting and analyzing the most important developments from this year’s session of the General Assembly that Connecticut K-12...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court’s dismissal of a trademark suit against a charter school operator and public school district in Texas but explained that the charter school was not...more
During the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly of Georgia, the Legislature enacted twenty-one bills that impact education. A summary follows: Act 772 (H.B. 1292) prohibits students who participate in 4-H sponsored...more
A surge in bus driver staffing needs may lead to steep penalties from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and their new compliance monitoring system. A combination of factors have made bus drivers hard to come by in Ohio,...more
After unanimous approval by both Florida’s Senate and House, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Educator Conduct Act on June 21, amending several sections of the state’s K-20 Education Code and imposing new statutory...more
Just after midnight, the 2021 Legislative Session concluded with many legislative measures sneaking in under the wire—and many others lying dead on the House and Senate floors. The House and Senate compromise on the FY22...more
Both chambers of the General Assembly were busy today in an effort to push forward numerous bills in advance of Crossover Day on March 8. The Senate approved a number of education-related measures, including SB 42 relating to...more
March came in like a lion with 40 mile per hour wind gusts this morning and weighty rules calendars and committee agendas acknowledging the nearness of Crossover Day. In the House, all eyes were on the omnibus election reform...more
The Georgia State Senate kicked off the second half of the 2021 Legislative Session on Tuesday by considering four measures on the hot topic of the year — Georgia’s election laws. Each bill passed, although three of four were...more
Monday marked the nominal halfway point of the 2021 Legislative Session, but there is a keen awareness among lawmakers and lobbyists that more than half of the legislature’s work for the year lies in the legislative days to...more
The big news today was the movement on the FY 2021 Amended Budget as the Senate Appropriations Committee moved its version on HB 80 forward this morning. This spending plan for the state includes much of what was proposed by...more