PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Gavels & Gowns - What’s Next in VA K-12 Education? An Interview with Scott Brabrand, Executive Director of VASS
Podcast: A Conversation with Andy Rotherham on Hot Topics in Education for 2023
The Transformation of Education in Florida
School District Update Podcast: Hiring H-1B Teachers in 2021-2022
COVID-19: New York Travel Guidance, Related Disability FAQs, Reopening/Operating Procedures, School District Update
They Said What? First Amendment Issues in 2020
COVID School Landscape
Education Data Privacy and Security Laws: Best Practices for School Districts
Leadership in the Time of COVID
Nota Bene Episode 90: U.S. Q3 Check In: Stimulus, Relief, Election, and Direction with Elizabeth Frazee and Jonathan Meyer
Top 10 Actions (or Inactions), that Spur Special Education Impartial Hearing Requests for School Districts
Among other things, the FOIA provides that a public agency may enter into executive session for the purpose of discussion “concerning the appointment, employment, performance, evaluation, health or dismissal of a public...more
Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) generally provides access to records created by public agencies (including school districts). However, the FOIA contains an exemption from disclosure for “educational records”...more
Bob Bombast, veteran member of the Nutmeg Board of Education, has been frustrated by the perennial need to reduce the Board’s budget request before submitting it to the Nutmeg Board of Finance and its parsimonious Chair,...more
Last May, the members of the Nutmeg Board of Education voted to extend Mr. Superintendent’s contract for one year, with the result that his contract now extends from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027. However, over the...more
The PAC recently issued a non-binding opinion, finding a school district did not waive the attorney-client privilege where prior disclosures of the requested records were mandated by state law....more
Sometimes we hear that opposites attract, and such was the case between two members of the Nutmeg Board of Education. Board members Penny Pincher and Mal Content rarely see eye to eye on the challenges the Board faces, with...more
One of the many worries that I have as a school attorney is when school board members use their e-mail account to discuss board business. As you may know, such conduct can run afoul of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information...more
Congratulations on your election to the board of education and thank you for volunteering your time to your community. As you begin to embark on your board journey you will unfortunately, find that way too much of your time...more
As the summer (and your vacation) becomes a distant memory, and the days get shorter and colder, I’ll bet you have had passing thoughts about changes to Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act’s (“FOIA”), especially in light...more
Recently, the Public Access Counselor (PAC) issued two non-binding opinions concerning the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), both upholding school district decisions to exert exemptions and withhold key documents under the...more
The Illinois Public Access Counselor (PAC) recently issued two new binding opinions concerning the FOIA—one upholding a public body’s denial of a FOIA request for union records and another finding application materials for...more
In my last column, The FOIA and the Pandemic: New (temporary?) Provisions on “Remote” and “Hybrid” Meetings for Public Agencies, I provided a summary of the “budget implementer” bill that amended Connecticut’s Freedom of...more
The Public Access Counselor (PAC)—the division of the Attorney General that reviews appeals regarding the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Open Meetings Act (OMA)—recently issued two binding opinions clarifying...more
Last week, the Illinois Appellate Court issued three separate opinions addressing the scope of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The opinions provide additional guidance related to what constitutes a reasonable...more
Arkansas schools often face parent requests to see all the school’s documents and emails about their child. Schools may wonder whether a parent has a right to such sweeping information. Federal law gives parents the right...more
In an unpublished decision, on December 17, 2019, the Michigan Court of Appeals issued an opinion that education records are subject to disclosure under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) with redaction of...more
Among other things, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) grants parents access to educational and related records concerning their child. Under FERPA, “education records” are broadly defined as...more
Do We Really Have To Deal With All of These FOIA Requests (And Are We Obliged To Deal With “Vexatious Requesters”)? - As an attorney representing school districts and other public agencies, I often hear from folks who are...more
Franczek P.C. is pleased to announce the publication of its annual Legislative Update for schools. With the flood of legislative changes in Illinois this year, it is more imperative than ever for education stakeholders to...more
Governor Pritzker recently signed into law Public Act 101-0455 amending the School Safety Drill Act (105 ILCS 128/1) to require threat assessment procedures and the creation of threat assessment teams in school districts...more
We are approaching a time of year where a board of education may have to deal with its long time and (hopefully) beloved superintendent deciding to retire or otherwise move on to another chapter in his or her life. Any...more
A recent Illinois Appellate Court decision provides welcome support to a school district or other public body faced with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that is more akin to a “fishing expedition” than a targeted...more
The 2018 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly passed bills that, among other things: (1) revise the Student Data Privacy Act; (2) address budgetary issues stemming from attempts at reducing and rescinding...more
Cook County Judge Rules Navy Pier, Inc. Records are Subject to FOIA - Judge Thomas R. Allen granted a motion for summary judgment filed by the Better Government Association (BGA) that found a broad range of documents held...more
The Public Access Counselor (PAC) of the Illinois Attorney General’s office recently issued two binding opinions addressing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Specifically, the opinions found two public entities violated...more