On August 10, 2020, the Illinois Association of School Boards issued an important PRESS policy update. Although PRESS updates are often significant, this update, which addressed important issues ranging from supporting...more
Section 50.100 of the ISBE teacher evaluation regulations requires that teachers who are to be evaluated during the upcoming school term be notified that they will be evaluated and provided with certain information regarding...more
On August 12, 2020, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) issued a “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” for Schools.” In a statement by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to stakeholders that same day, ISBE...more
8/14/2020
/ Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Health and Safety ,
IDEA ,
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
ISBE ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Section 504 ,
Special Education ,
State Health Departments ,
Students
The FTC recently updated its FAQs on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (‘COPPA”). COPPA governs the collection, use, and disclosure of information on children under the age of 13 by operators of commercial websites...more
ISBE released a comprehensive guidance document today with learning recommendations for the return to school this fall. In a letter introducing this document...more
On May 23, the Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill 2135, which in part amended the Open Meetings Act to permit, and set conditions for, conducting board meetings by audio or video conference without the physical...more
The Illinois General Assembly was busy during its recent special session, passing a number of bills addressing important concerns for local governments and schools during the COVID-19 public health crisis....more
On May 15, 2020, ISBE issued the first part of its recommendations for transitioning to in-person instruction, Considerations for Closing the 2019-20 School Year & Summer 2020: Part 1 – Transition Plan. The plan contains a...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
The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) recently reminded school districts and schools that receive funds from the Department to review and, if necessary, revise policies, procedures, and...more
Education has moved online, and students as young as pre-kindergarten are engaging in hours of remote learning via educational technology each school day. This has led all of us to think about the myriad of state and federal...more
We understand that certain transportation vendors are claiming that the recently passed CARES Act requires full or nearly full payment from school districts even if no transportation services are provided during school...more
We know that many school districts and schools are using education technology tools to provide crucial remote learning opportunities and to stay connected with students. These tools will prove even more essential as we move...more
In the week since the Governor of Illinois shut down Illinois public schools in response to the growing threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), school districts across the state have risen to the challenge of educating...more
Although Act of God days between March 17 and March 30 will not be made up and are not instructional days, “the employer can expect school district employees to participate in work activities,” including stipend work, “in...more
Governor JB Pritzker’s recent order that all K-12 schools in Illinois be closed between March 17 and March 30 has left school districts scrambling to prepare to close school tomorrow. On Saturday, March 14, ISBE updated its...more
3/17/2020
/ Act of God ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Educational Institutions ,
IEA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
ISBE ,
Public Health ,
School Closures ,
School Districts ,
Special Education ,
Students ,
Wage and Hour
As we discuss in our COVID-19 Guide for Illinois Schools, the Illinois State Board of Education issued guidance on March 10, 2020, addressing school responses to the coronavirus pandemic. ISBE intends to update this document...more
School districts across the country are facing uncertainty when it comes to the legal rights of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming students. A lawsuit in Connecticut and a bill in Arizona, for instance, aim to...more
3/11/2020
/ Binary Options ,
Educational Institutions ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
Gender Identity ,
ISBE ,
LGBTQ ,
School Districts ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
State and Local Government ,
Students ,
Transgender
As we previously reported, effective immediately, school districts must comply with ISBE emergency rules for the use of seclusion and restraint....more
11/22/2019
/ Child Abuse ,
Cooperative Compliance Regime ,
Dear Colleague Letter ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Rule ,
ISBE ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Restraints ,
Risk Management ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State Bans ,
Strict Compliance ,
Students
This summer, Pearson notified a handful of Illinois school districts that its AIMSweb 1.0 Platform had experienced a data breach that impacted over 13,000 account holders nationally. ...more
9/18/2019
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Education ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
FERPA ,
Notification Requirements ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Policies and Procedures ,
PTAC ,
Risk Management ,
Risk Mitigation ,
School Districts ,
Student Privacy
As we reported in December 2018, changes to the length of the instructional day for students in Illinois brought confusion and concern. Public Act 100-0465, or the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act, removed...more
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently released proposed non-regulatory guidance addressing school district compliance with the requirement that federal funds "supplement, and do not supplant” state and local funds...more
The Supreme Court recently declined to hear a case involving a public school district that fired its football coach for kneeling and praying on the football field after games. ...more
Although months have passed since a new law addressing public education funding in Illinois was signed, confusion lingers over the impact of the law on the instructional day for students....more
At both the college and the grade school levels, administrators and researchers are thinking of creative ways to work together to use student data to drive success, with benefits to both levels of schools. ...more