Employment Law Now V-96- LOTS of Big Employment Law Developments
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
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor has raised new considerations for districts faced with requests from parents to excuse students from instruction they believe is at odds with their religious beliefs. ...more
In C.S. v. McCrumb, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit addressed the scope of a public school’s ability to restrict student expression on-campus, particularly when that expression involves politically charged,...more
On June 27, in a 6/3 majority decision in Mahmoud v Taylor, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a public school district violated parents’ constitutional right involving religious freedom by forcing their children to...more
In a 6-3 decision with the justices split along familiar ideological lines, the United States Supreme Court held on Friday, June 27, in Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. ___ (2025) (Case No. 24-297)...more
Religious freedom-based challenges to educational policies and actions have gained significant traction in recent years. Cases like Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 597 US 507 (2022), concerning a football coach’s right...more
Social media has made it much easier to disseminate hurtful criticisms about teachers, principals, superintendents and even board of education members, and the good people of Nutmeg are no exception....more
Ohio Senate Bill 206, (SB 206) introduced in 2024, calls for students who post threatening content on social media to be punished with expulsion from school for up to 180 days. The bill defines the proposed prohibited conduct...more
A federal court just blocked the sweeping Title IX rule finalized by the Biden administration last year – effectively wiping the entire rule off the books for all schools nationwide. Prior to Thursday’s ruling, schools across...more
Last year was a turbulent one for Title IX, and although we are just a few days into 2025, this turbulence has persisted into the new year. Yesterday, January 9, 2025, a federal district court in Kentucky issued a ruling that...more
As protests erupt across college campuses, educational institutions are grappling with how to handle escalating situations and balance important interests like free speech and student safety. Colleges and universities are...more
The limits of First Amendment protections and principles of academic freedom in higher education institutions seem to be shifting. What are the DEI-related trends on campus? How are lower courts handling First Amendment and...more
Can a public university discipline a professor for refusing to address a student by the student’s preferred pronoun? If so, can the professor defend his conduct by alleging his religious beliefs prohibit him from recognizing...more
In today's new episode, Michael Schmidt talks about social media and schools (and what that means for employers generally), spousal claims against employers for getting COVID-19 at home, the withdrawal of the independent...more
A presidential election like no other in history, a global pandemic causing an unprecedented economic and emotional toll on our communities, and a remote learning environment where virtual communication reigns, whether in the...more
It’s here. It’s happening. Each day, another piece of what our society recognizes as white supremacist ideology finds its way into mainstream social media and news platforms. We read about it, wrestle with our stand on “free...more