Late Friday, Governor Pritzker issued Executive Order 2021-24 requiring schools to exclude students and school personnel for COVID-19 diagnosis, exposure, or symptoms. School districts, not the local health department, are...more
9/21/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Workplace Safety
Last week, ISBE published Emergency Rules regarding Mandatory Vaccinations for School Personnel. The Emergency Regulations clarify the requirements under Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order 2021-22. ...more
9/20/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Governor Pritzker has ordered a vaccine mandate for all teachers and staff at pre-K-12 schools, as well as students and personnel at higher education institutions. Under the Executive Order, all pre-K-12 school personnel must...more
8/30/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
ISBE ,
Private Schools ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
State Contractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Earlier yesterday Governor Pritzker announced a mandate for all teachers and staff at pre-K-12 schools, as well as students and personnel at higher education institutions, to be vaccinated. ...more
8/27/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Private Schools ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Focused on providing a safe learning environment for in-person instruction, Governor Pritzker announced that all individuals in all PreK-12 schools and daycare settings in Illinois must wear a mask when indoors, regardless of...more
In a new FAQ issued, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) confirm that the adoption of the CDC’s July 9 guidance means local control of mitigation layers—most...more
7/28/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
ISBE ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health ,
Social Distancing ,
Students ,
Vaccinations
Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued new, anticipated guidance concerning the Department’s current regulations related to sexual harassment. The guidance, titled Questions and...more
The U.S. Department of Education recently released Volume 3 of its COVID-19 Handbook, which provides higher education institutions with strategies for reopening for in-person instruction and implementing the most recent CDC...more
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a Request for Information that asks members of the public to submit written comments regarding the administration of school discipline in...more
Earlier last week, on June 1, 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker re-issued and amended Executive Order 2020-47 to provide more flexibility to preK-12 schools seeking to offer full-time in-person instruction. The order allows...more
6/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Public Gatherings ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
School Closures ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Vaccinations
A little over a year ago, in Dynak v. Board of Education of Wooddale School District 7, the Illinois Supreme Court put to rest the argument about the timing of paid sick leave related to the birth of a child under Section...more
Yes, but not like last fall. On May 19, 2021, the Illinois State Board of Education adopted a Resolution Supporting In-Person Learning. The Resolution points to a definite shift to return the vast majority of students to...more
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in its first case ever to address the discipline of students for speech occurring off-campus, on their own time, and online. ...more
4/29/2021
/ Code of Conduct ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Educational Institutions ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Mahanoy Area School District v B.L. ,
Online Platforms ,
Oral Argument ,
Political Speech ,
SCOTUS ,
Snapchat ,
Student Speech ,
Students ,
Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School Dist.
President Joe Biden has made returning kids to in-person learning a priority in his first 100 days, promising that guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) would help schools safely meet that goal. The...more
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) replaced the 2016 Clery Act Handbook (Handbook) with the new Clery Act Appendix for FSA Handbook (Appendix). The Appendix rescinds previous ED guidance interpreting Clery Act...more
As the understanding of COVID-19 grows, the guidance from public health authorities continues to develop. After issuing various updates to its guidance for schools over the past weeks, IDPH has now revised its FAQ for Schools...more
COVID-19 saliva tests have been used as one tool to slow the spread of coronavirus—notably on college campuses. Soon, several saliva tests will be available to K-12 schools. The availability of such tests prompts several...more
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has again updated its COVID-19 Interim Exclusion Guidance as well as its general Interim Guidance for Pre-K-12 Schools. The updated guidance documents include several revisions,...more
10/27/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Guidance Update ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
School Closures ,
Students ,
Virus Testing
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) updated its COVID-19 FAQ and Exclusion Guidance last week. As we previously reported, the IDPH released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for schools in August to supplement but...more
On August 27, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0591, which added Section 24A-5.5 to the School Code. Section 24A-5.5 requires school districts to create an appeals process for teachers who receive...more
After almost one-and-a-half years since issuing its original proposed rule, the U.S. Department of Education has issued final Title IX regulations effective August 14, 2020. Although analyzing the changes will take some time,...more
5/8/2020
/ Colleges ,
Department of Education ,
Deregulation ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Educational Institutions ,
Gender-Based Violence ,
OCR ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sexual Violence Policies ,
Students ,
Title IX ,
Universities
States may now apply for their share of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSERS) Fund – the $13.2 billion fund under the CARES Act that will be allocated to states based on the proportions of Title IA...more
Despite efforts by schools and advocacy organizations, state attorneys general, and members of Congress and the Senate, the Department of Education’s proposed Title IX rules reportedly have cleared Office of Management and...more
As the issues related to the mandated school closures in response to the COVID-19 crisis continue to rapidly evolve, the Governor extended the closure through April 7, and in all likelihood, Illinois schools will remain...more
3/31/2020
/ Act of God ,
Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Education ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
FERPA ,
IDEA ,
ISBE ,
School Closures ,
Special Education ,
Student Enrollment ,
Student Records ,
Students
While Illinois schools—and schools across the country—remain closed due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, keep in mind that schools currently are not relieved from their obligations under Title IX or other civil...more