As you recover from another whirlwind of a school year, we hope you can take some time to relax and enjoy your summer break. The next few months will be the perfect time to – at your leisure – catch up on this past year’s...more
Each year, new issues, technologies, and events impact the way that independent schools set and carry out their expectations, values, and procedures in their communities. As independent schools embark on the 2024-2025 school...more
More than a dozen states operate school voucher programs, which allow parents to apply state tax dollars to their children’s private school tuition. Many schools that participate in voucher programs are affiliated with...more
The highest priority for any independent school is ensuring the safety and security of the students committed to its care. Central to meeting this responsibility is establishing and enforcing appropriate boundaries between...more
Many independent schools have developed or are in the process of developing policies and procedures regarding students who are transgender or gender non-conforming. Often, the laws that govern these issues are not applicable...more
While the great majority of schools will not be requiring their students or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 this coming school year, that’s not necessarily true for schools in the Northeast and on the West Coast....more
As the 2022-2023 school year begins, independent schools should revisit their COVID-19 protocols. The newer COVID-19 variants have proved to be milder than the original strain, justifying shorter self-isolation periods...more
In a decision that should put the nation’s private and independent school community on notice, a federal judge in Baltimore recently ruled that a school’s nonprofit status in and of itself constituted the receipt of federal...more
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has signed into law several changes to the Pennsylvania School Code. Here are some highlights from Act 55 of 2022, and the impact it will have on school entities in the Commonwealth....more
One of the more challenging issues that schools have faced during the pandemic is the increasingly difficult parent. The relationship between schools and their community has not been without controversy over the past two...more
We recently provided our predictions for what education employers could expect to see in the area of workplace law over the next year as part of our FP Forecast series – but we had too many insights to fit into that edition....more
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new emergency order on October 1 requiring all students in both public and private schools to get the COVID-19 vaccine once fully authorized by the Federal Drug Administration...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
In response to several Florida school boards considering mask mandates in advance of school openings, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just signed an executive order threatening to withhold state funds from any school boards...more
After unanimous approval by both Florida’s Senate and House, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Educator Conduct Act on June 21, amending several sections of the state’s K-20 Education Code and imposing new statutory...more
The election is coming, and political discourse is contentious. How will your institution address speech on campus? Join Bricker attorneys Josh Nolan, Jeff Knight and Jessica Galanos for a discussion on addressing employee...more
It’s here. It’s happening. Each day, another piece of what our society recognizes as white supremacist ideology finds its way into mainstream social media and news platforms. We read about it, wrestle with our stand on “free...more
Just when private schools were becoming relatively knowledgeable about their obligation to allow a disabled student’s service animal on their premises, they started getting requests from employees to have their emotional...more
Courts continue to grapple with the scope and meaning of the ministerial exception doctrine. In Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & Sch. v. EEOC, 565 U.S. 171 (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that a...more
With the seemingly ever-increasing propensity for America’s youth to resort to violence to resolve conflict—real or imagined—school administrators are collectively searching for guidance in preventing violence before it...more
Medical marijuana first became legal in the U.S. more than 20 years ago when, in 1996, California passed its groundbreaking law. Since then, an increasing number of states have passed their own laws to allow the legal use of...more
Each day we witness various factions in our society establishing a stronger platform from which to launch their voices. It seems what used to be taboo or met with disapproval has now become acceptable speech deserving of a...more