The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) includes some provisions relevant to private schools and donors who support K-12 education. The bill passed on July 3 and is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump by July 4. ...more
A hallmark of the Trump administration's education policy agenda, school choice programs aim to provide public funds to families to cover education-related expenses, including for independent school tuition. ...more
In its recently adjourned session, the General Assembly passed two major bills regarding special education. Although the Governor has not yet signed these bills, we wanted to provide a brief and non-exhaustive overview of the...more
President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBBA) was narrowly passed in the House in May, and while there are many important aspects of the bill, there are provisions that may affect secondary and post-secondary...more
In the hours following his inauguration, President Trump issued executive orders concerning immigration, including the launch of new enforcement policies to address illegal entry, unlawful presence, and removal of...more
During the first days of President Trump's second term of office, he issued executive orders rescinding many Biden-era executive orders and addressing a wide range of initiatives and issues that were a focus of his election...more
The start of a new year may prompt questions regarding hot button areas of the law in flux. We have received questions about several such issues and what they mean for educators. Title IX, immigration enforcement, and school...more
Many of my JDSUPRA postings, a full catalog of which may be found below, are about the doctrinal incoherence that is being inflicted on the institution of the trust by legislative intrusions into equity doctrine, intrusions...more
Welcome to The Academic Advisor - our e-newsletter focused on education law insights. With Fall Break behind us and the race to end-of-term underway, we highlight the following topics of import for schools,...more
Can a teacher put a sticker on their laptop expressing support for a political candidate? What about an employee attending a pro-life rally or using their personal social media account to express opinions about global...more
Welcome to our seventh 2024 issue of Decoded - our technology law insights e-newsletter. We have a few events we want to pass along to those interested in technology, but also other areas of law and business....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
Through our work with independent schools, we have seen numerous schools grapple with a variety of copyright issues including disputes over ownership of work created by teachers, unauthorized use of music or videos, and the...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
The “hook” of many federal anti-discrimination measures, including Title VI, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Section 303 of the Age Discrimination Act, is “receiving Federal financial assistance.”...more
In an earlier article, we discussed how a federal district court’s decision that mere 501(c)(3) status can trigger obligations under Title IX created shock waves throughout the private independent school community. A recent...more
Ensuring that an independent school’s board of trustees operates in a manner that is consistent with the fundamental principles of good governance is essential to the overall health of the school. After all, the board is the...more
After criticism of her testimony before Congress on antisemitism on college campuses, the President of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill, resigned. And, at Pomona College, authorities arrested a professor who...more
After two federal courts in Maryland and California ruled that private schools were subject to Title IX just by virtue of being non-profit, an Arizona court has weighed in with the opposite view and given hope to schools...more
As independent schools work to promote equity, understanding, and inclusion of students across the gender spectrum on their campuses, it seems that legislative efforts on the state and federal levels are moving in the...more
The highest priority for any independent school is ensuring the safety and security of the students committed to its care. Central to meeting this responsibility is establishing and enforcing appropriate boundaries between...more
On June 29, 2023, in a set of consolidated cases (Students for Fair Admissions v. Presidents & Fellows of Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina et al.), the Supreme Court overturned...more
Reviewing your school's student and employee handbooks on a regular basis is an invaluable practice for ensuring that these documents accurately reflect the school's expectations, values, and procedures, as well as ensuring...more
We previously shared our School Law Legislative Update, focused on new Illinois school-related laws that became effective January 1, 2023. From that update, our team at Franczek P.C. has compiled a narrower list of those laws...more
In July 2022, two federal district courts on opposite sides of the country issued opinions that have the potential to have a major impact on non-profits and schools not accepting federal funding throughout the country....more