The following is a brief description of acts that were passed during the 2024 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut school leaders. ...more
8/22/2024
/ Connecticut ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Benefits ,
General Assembly ,
New Amendments ,
New Regulations ,
Public Employees ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Special Education ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Wage and Hour
Late last week the Connecticut State Department of Education (“CSDE” or “Department”) issued new guidance addressing the rights of transgender students in Connecticut schools. Entitled Guidance on Civil Rights Protections...more
1/18/2024
/ Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Connecticut ,
Educational Institutions ,
Equal Protection ,
FERPA ,
Gender Identity ,
IDEA ,
LGBTQ ,
OCR ,
School Restrooms ,
Section 504 ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Students ,
Title IX ,
Title VII ,
Transgender
While district-controlled Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/“X” accounts can certainly be a great tool for engaging stakeholders – particularly Gen X and Millennial parents – it is important for board members and administrators...more
As we head into the 2023-24 school year we will be supplementing our annual School Law legislative update with our take on some of the most important pieces of education-related legislation from this year’s session of the...more
9/5/2023
/ Connecticut ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Immigrants ,
Native Language ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Acts ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Students ,
Translations
The 2023 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on June 7, 2023. The following is a brief description of acts that were passed by the General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut’s K-12...more
Every year as May 1 approaches, Connecticut school districts are confronted with an unpleasant, albeit familiar, process. For better or worse, teacher non-renewal is a fact of life under the Teacher Tenure Act and the...more
4/25/2023
/ Budgets ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Retention ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
School Districts ,
Teachers ,
Tenure ,
Termination
THE NEW YEAR, 2023, MARKS THE 40TH anniversary of the initial passage of Connecticut General Statutes § 31-51q. Connecticut’s employee free speech protection statute, Section 31-51q, broadly protects both public and...more
As we turn the page to 2023 it’s as good a time as ever to review one of the most important concepts in unemployment compensation – “wilful misconduct.” From an employer’s perspective understanding when the wilful misconduct...more
The 2022 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on May 4, 2022. The following is a brief description of acts that were passed by the General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut’s K-12...more
8/18/2022
/ Connecticut ,
Education Reform ,
FOIA ,
General Assembly ,
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) ,
Mental Health ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Public Acts ,
Public Schools ,
School Lunch Programs ,
Special Education ,
Students
The 2022 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on May 4, 2022. The following is a brief description of acts that were passed by the General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut’s K-12...more
8/15/2022
/ Community Development ,
Connecticut ,
Economic Development ,
Education Reform ,
General Assembly ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
Public Employees ,
Public Employers ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
School Transportation ,
Students
Two weeks ago was a win for boards of education and other public bodies in Connecticut and across the country. On March 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held in Houston Community College System v....more
The 2021 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly concluded on June 9, 2021, but the primary source of action on education law issues was a special session of the General Assembly and ensuing “budget implementer”...more
8/10/2021
/ Charter Schools ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
General Assembly ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Native American Issues ,
Public Sector Unions ,
School Districts ,
Special Education ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Team Mascots ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
On August 5, 2021, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued a new executive order – Executive Order # 13A – expressly permitting chief executive officers of Connecticut municipalities to issue local emergency orders requiring...more
8/9/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Earlier this month, The CABE Journal (see page 11) published a portion of an article by Pullman & Comley attorney Zach Schurin entitled “Native American Mascots: An Emerging Legal Landscape.” The article examines the legal...more
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the cornerstone of President Lyndon Johnson’s historic civil rights efforts. While Title VII prohibits discrimination in employment and is perhaps...more
Earlier this month, The CABE Journal (see page 11) published a portion of an article by Pullman & Comley attorney Zach Schurin entitled “Native American Mascots: An Emerging Legal Landscape.” The article examines the legal...more
Spring is in the air….and so is budget season! For Connecticut board of education members and administrators the annual budget ritual can be an exhausting and politically-delicate process. As important as it is to rally the...more
As COVID-19 test positivity rates in Connecticut become more ominous and the long-feared fall “second wave” rears its ugly head, Governor Lamont’s executive orders regarding travel into Connecticut continue to evolve. The...more
11/2/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Essential Workers ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
State and Local Government ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee
The Trump-era National Labor Relations Board has struck again. On July 21, 2020 in General Motors LLC, 14-CA-197985, 369 NLRB No. 127 (2020), the NLRB overruled longstanding precedent and rejected “setting-specific”...more
7/29/2020
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
General Motors ,
Hiring & Firing ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Offensive Language ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Section 7 ,
Unfair Labor Practices
It has only been a little over ten days since Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA), and legal compliance concerns are already upon us. ...more
The 2019-20 certified teachers’ and administrators’ negotiation season is just about at the halfway mark. While, as to be expected, the overwhelming majority of contracts up for negotiation so far have settled at either the...more
An interesting question is now pending before the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”): Are labor disputes at charter schools “sufficiently substantial” to effect interstate commerce? If the answer is yes then the...more
The 2018-19 season for certified Connecticut teacher and administrator contract negotiations is just about officially in the books. While a handful of contracts have yet to be reported, this year’s certified negotiation...more
It’s been a little over four months since the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Janus v. AFSCME Co. 31, 585 U.S. ___ (2018). In Janus, as you’ll recall, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision held that agency...more
11/15/2018
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Fair Share Contribution ,
First Amendment ,
Janus v AFSCME ,
Non-Union ,
Payroll Deductions ,
Public Sector Unions ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Stare Decisis ,
Union Dues
The wait is over. For better or worse, this morning the United States Supreme Court issued what may well prove to be the most important public-sector labor law decision of the last 50 years. By a 5-4 majority the Supreme...more
6/28/2018
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Fair Share Contribution ,
First Amendment ,
Janus v AFSCME ,
Non-Union ,
Payroll Deductions ,
Public Sector Unions ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Stare Decisis ,
Union Dues