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
Louisiana and Texas recently enacted new legislation imposing disclosure requirements on food and beverage manufacturers, as well as new restrictions on ingredients permitted in public school meals. Some changes take effect...more
In its 2025 regular session, the General Assembly made a number of changes to the statutes that affect public education in Connecticut. This summary provides a brief overview of some of the more significant changes. Unless...more
On June 30, 2025, Governor Mike DeWine signed into law (HB 96), a cybersecurity mandate that applies to all political subdivisions in Ohio—including counties, municipalities, townships, and school districts. ...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
Pursuant to Section 45.052 of the Texas Education Code, school district and charter school bonds (including refunding bonds) are eligible to be guaranteed by the corpus and income of the Permanent School Fund (PSF). If...more
Amid ongoing conversations about student focus and classroom distractions, Ohio lawmakers are considering new measures to regulate cellphone use in schools. These discussions reflect growing concerns among educators, parents,...more
Crossover Day coincided with Cattlemen’s Day at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday, and the event known for its coveted steak biscuits brought a different type of celebrity this year. The Georgia Mobile Dairy Classroom,...more
When lawmakers and lobbyists were greeted by the aroma of grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the Georgia State Capitol on Tuesday morning, there was no question what day it was. In addition to Crossover Eve,...more
Week 5 of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session closed with the first major deadline of the year. Individual legislators had until Friday, February 14, to request bills and joint resolution drafts to the Legislative Services...more
Happy New Year! Several Illinois laws related to schools became effective January 1, 2025, and our team at Franczek P.C. has compiled them in its new School Law Legislative Update, focused on new laws in effect in 2025. A PDF...more
According to the State of Ohio Department of Transportation website, the new division is intended to develop and provide training for school staff members whose districts opt to allow certain employees to be armed on school...more
It was Mental Health Day under the Gold Dome, headlined by the unveiling of Speaker David Ralston’s (R-Blue Ridge) much discussed, and anticipated, mental health parity bill. House lawmakers, members of the Behavioral Health...more
On June 23, 2021, Senate Bill 22 went into effect in Ohio, and as schools resume instruction across the state, staff and families alike have been wrangling with its impact on quarantining and isolation procedures. Health...more
Legislators wrapped up a long Crossover week today with short floor sessions and a variety of committee meetings. Most notably, subcommittees of the Senate Appropriations Committee rushed to complete hearings on the FY22...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
Freezing temperatures and the threat of icy roads couldn’t keep legislators away from the Gold Dome as they kicked off yet another week of the Session. Both chambers OK’d a small slate of bills followed by a packed afternoon...more
On July 14, 2020, Gov. Roy Cooper outlined a plan for K-12 school openings. Under Plan B, schools are required to follow certain guidelines issued by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)....more
After hearing a State of the Judiciary Address from Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton focused on improving access to justice across the state and increasing cybersecurity in the courts, legislators embarked on...more
After shifting to a lower gear last week in an effort to look more closely at the State’s revenues and develop a spending plan for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2020, lawmakers reconvened this morning for Legislative Day 13....more
As we officially enter the second quarter of the legislative session, the Senate floor saw bipartisan action with the unanimous passage of SB 159. ...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
As the budget stalemate nears its second month, new budget proposals emerged from the General Assembly. The next few weeks could see attempts at piecemeal budgets and tax rebates. In other news, high profile and controversial...more
On August 27, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0591 (formerly Senate Bill 1213), creating an appeals process for teachers who receive unsatisfactory summative ratings. Beginning with the 2019-2020 school...more
Governor Mike DeWine recently signed Senate Bill (S.B.) 57 into law, paving the way for the hemp industry to become one of Ohio’s agricultural yields. Industrial hemp comes from cannabis plants that contain no more than 0.3...more
After meeting for 140 days at the Capitol, Texas Legislators adjourned the 86th Legislative Session on May 27th, 2019. For the construction industry as a whole, many are saying that the 86th Legislative Session was one of the...more