COVID-19 has rocked our world and changed the landscape of workplaces everywhere-including in schools. While we've navigated short-term emergency legislation and (we hope) short-term virtual learning arrangements in 2020, we have learned lessons for navigating Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") and Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") issues that will remain useful for years to come. Remote work has become commonplace in 2020 to an extent we have not seen previously, and we can anticipate that employees' expectations to take leave or be accommodated with remote work will increase as well. We are also seeing an uptick in mental health issues and expect that trend to continue when the pandemic has past. Below is an overview of applicable federal legislation and considerations for accommodations.

Republished with permission. The article, "Lessons from the 2020 Pandemic: Navigating Employee Leave, Accommodations, and Preventative Health Measures in Schools," was published in The Alabama Lawyer, Vol. 81, No. 6  in the Education Law issue. To read the full article, visit The Alabama Lawyer website.