Haight Partner Greg Rolen Testifies About SB 907 Before the California State Assembly
Partner Greg Rolen Explains the Intricacies of Charter School Act to Orange County Board of Education
The Arizona Department of Education (“DOE”) is responsible for licensing and overseeing educators in the state. All Arizona teachers must maintain a teaching certificate to be eligible to teach and remain in good standing...more
Senate Bill 1, a bill requiring high school students to complete one-half unit of financial literacy instruction to graduate, is on its way to the governor for signature after the Ohio Senate concurred with House changes to...more
This 14th edition of Unprecedented, our weekly update on COVID-19-related litigation, showcases new and evolving trends. Employers are facing claims for both doing too much and too little in response to the COVID-19 pandemic....more
On March 27, 2020, Governor DeWine signed Am.Sub.H.B. 197 into law. This legislation makes it permissible for a board of education to elect to not finish teacher and administrator evaluations that were not already completed...more
In light of CDC recommendations regarding COVID-19, North Carolina Governor Cooper issued an executive order closing all public schools in North Carolina for two weeks, beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, through March 30,...more
As skies cleared over the Gold Dome this evening, legislators and lobbyists rode floods of rainwater and legislation out of the building and into a three-day respite from the 2020 Legislative Session....more
Roadrunners, Hawks, Mariners, and other big-headed mascots flocked to the Capitol atrium today for Georgia State College Day at the Capitol, and House and Senate members also had education on their minds. ...more
While the weather outside is merely drizzly, March came in like a lion through the halls of the State Capitol today. The Senate Appropriations Committee brought the building to life this morning by unveiling its take on the...more
In a recent decision, the Appellate Court of Illinois rejected a school board’s decision to terminate a tenured teacher for misconduct despite a hearing officer’s finding that there was insufficient evidence of cause for...more
As we reported at the time, in 2015 the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issued non-regulatory guidance regarding the application of Section 24-14 of the Illinois School Code to teacher resignations. After amendments...more
Federal Updates - Last week, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent letters to numerous education technology companies expressing concern about “vast amount of data being...more
The deadlines are approaching for non-renewal of probationary teacher contracts. The standard probationary period is five years. Under the Michigan Teachers’ Tenure Act, MCL 38.83, a board of education is required to...more
In June of 2015, the Michigan Court of Appeals decided Summer v Southfield Board of Education (“Summer I”), addressing the circumstances and bases under which a teacher may challenge his or her annual evaluation as a result...more
North Carolina Legislators returned to Raleigh last week for their “short session” with a focus on revising the State budget bill passed last year. There was not much formal action in the two days the legislators returned to...more
An open letter - In light of recent events, schools across New York and the country are preparing for a student demonstration that could have millions joining a walkout. There are many stakeholders- students, parents,...more
The deadlines are approaching for non-renewal of probationary teacher contracts. The probationary period is five years. Pursuant to MCL 38.83, a board of education must provide a probationary teacher with a definite...more
Earlier this year, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld a denial of a motion for summary judgment filed by the Pittsburgh School District’s Board of Public Education (“PBE”). Geier v. Bd. of Pub. Educ. of the Sch....more
Now that summer is half-way over, it’s time to make sure that your district is on track to be compliant at the start of the new school year with up-to-date policies on mandated reporting and by ensuring that you have planned...more
This Week - While the Senate was predominantly focused on the budget this week, the House moved forward with a number of high-profile issues. By a vote of 60-49, the House approved House Bill 1080, sponsored by Rep....more
The Illinois Appellate Court (Fifth District) recently reversed a school board’s decision to dismiss a tenured teacher for failure to comply with a notice to remedy. This case confirms that while school boards have...more
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has issued non-regulatory guidance regarding the application of Section 24-14 of the Illinois School Code to teacher resignations. Section 24-14 of the School Code provides...more
In Chicago Teachers Union, Local No. 1, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO v. Bd. of Educ. of the City of Chicago, Case No. 14-2843 (7th Cir. Aug. 7, 2015), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed a...more
In a non-binding opinion, the Public Access Counselor (PAC) held that a school district violated the Open Meetings Act (OMA) when the board’s negotiations team, which included three board members, held a meeting to discuss...more
Appellate Court Advance Release Opinions - AC36506 - Sidorova v. East Lyme Board of Education - Due to budget cuts, the Board of Education laid off the plaintiff who was a tenured French teacher. She sued for...more
In 2011, the Board of Education of the City of Chicago laid off over 1,400 teachers and paraprofessionals, all of whom belonged to the same union. The Board chose which schools would be subject to layoffs and it was then up...more