Originally appeared in the CAS Weekly Newsletter
Dear Legal Mailbag:
One of the teachers in my school is a toxic personality, and he is always trying to stir up discontent. For example, he recently distributed a petition among teachers here, asking them to share their stories of “overwork and disrespect.” He got nowhere with that, and he…
Originally appeared in the CAS Weekly Newsletter
Dear Legal Mailbag:
As the principal of an elementary school, I am responsible for evaluating all the teachers in my building. I won’t lie; it is a pain in the neck to go through the rigmarole of goal setting, mid-year check-in, and summative evaluation for everyone. And when a teacher…
Originally appeared in the CAS Weekly Newsletter
Dear Legal Mailbag:
As an administrator, I am involved on a regular basis in interviews of candidates to fill teaching positions. I am a curious fellow, and I like to probe with my questions to find out what makes a candidate tick. Recently, however, I was chastised for asking too…
In finalizing the Board’s budget request for 2025-2026, the members of the Nutmeg Board of Education have been making tough decisions to trim their budget request down to a five percent increase for next year. Their frustration has been exacerbated by conflicting pressures. Unions who stand to lose positions next year have been protesting, while Seymour Dollars,…
Originally appeared in the CAS Weekly Newsletter
Dear Legal Mailbag:
Middle school students are always pushing the boundaries, and this year is no exception. Kids talk, they fool around, and they push and shove.
This year, however, we are seeing a new twist on that last issue. When getting in trouble for hitting other students, they…
As discussed in our prior blog post, the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) recently issued a Dear Colleague letter (“Letter”) discussing how OCR will interpret and enforce federal laws prohibiting schools and other entities receiving federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race.
In the three weeks…
In January, former President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 (SSFA) into law. We discussed the key changes in a blog post entitled Enactment of the Social Security Fairness Could Mean Increase in Social Security Benefits for Some Public School Employees. Since then, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has released additional…
Originally appeared in the CAS Weekly Newsletter
Dear Legal Mailbag:
We are very excited to begin to offer dual enrollment classes at our high school. We’ve partnered with several colleges and universities, and our students are excited about the opportunity. We have decided to create a student agreement to specify our expectations in the process. I dutifully scoured…
Last month, we hosted a webinar for our independent school clients entitled “Turn Down the Heavy Metal: Revisiting Lead Exposure at School-Owned Residences and How to Manage the Risks.” As we shared, independent schools that own older buildings used for housing are vulnerable to lead exposure risks from legacy paints and aging pipes, particularly if there are…
On January 29, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order entitled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.” Contending that students are being indoctrinated with “anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies,” the order pledges to protect parental rights, eliminate discriminatory programs, and promote a more positive vision of American history.
What the Order Says…
