In the heat of the summer, the Pennsylvania legislature quickly and quietly repaired the already recently-revised Child Protective Services Law. Like all such hasty fixes, not all loose ends are resolved. PTAs and parent volunteers horrified by the draconian requirements of the prior law get some relief, but it is still not the same world as when volunteering meant simply showing up. Below, a … [Read more...] about Big Changes and Bigger Questions: An In-Depth Look at the Most Recent Amendment to Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law
KingSpry Blog
Edging Closer to Rules for Addressing Specificity Concerns Under Right to Know Law
On July 14, the Commonwealth Court addressed a request for “all emails” and determined that it was insufficiently specific to require an agency response. A three-part test will now help with Right To Know Law (RTK) requests for “all records.” Here’s What Happened On August 5, 2014, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette submitted a Right to Know request to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), … [Read more...] about Edging Closer to Rules for Addressing Specificity Concerns Under Right to Know Law
Should Adoptees Have Access to Original Birth Certificates? The Debate Continues
When an adoption is finalized the child’s birth certificate is revised to reflect the names of the adoptive parents, and whether adult adoptees should have access to their original birth records has been debated for many years. In the past, original birth records were sealed, purportedly to protect the privacy of birth parents and prevent unwanted contact. In recent years, states have begun to … [Read more...] about Should Adoptees Have Access to Original Birth Certificates? The Debate Continues
PDE Releases Model Policy on Student Suicide
Suicide rates among adolescents have risen sharply in the past several years, and now are the second to third leading cause of death among individuals in that age group. The rise in American teenagers’ internet use, mobile phone accessibility and use, and social networking use correlates with the rise in teenagers’ suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The most recent national Youth Risk … [Read more...] about PDE Releases Model Policy on Student Suicide
Supreme Court Upholds Premium Tax Credits – What Does this Mean for Employers?
In the King v. Burwell decision released on June 25, 2015, the Supreme Court upheld (6-3) the IRS’s application of the premium tax credit for individuals in states, like Pennsylvania, that have not established a state exchange, per the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). For some employers, however, this decision may, at first blush, be jarring. Here is why: The applicable ACA taxes to employers, … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Upholds Premium Tax Credits – What Does this Mean for Employers?
It Is So Ordered… SCOTUS Confirms Same-Sex Marriage in Landmark Decision
It is so ordered… In a 20 page opinion, those four words stand above all. Today, June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States, in a landmark decision, has explicitly declared that same-sex marriage is a fundamental nationwide right and overturned individual State bans. The Court, by a very slim margin, ruled that the 14th Amendment protects same-sex marriage and requires a State to … [Read more...] about It Is So Ordered… SCOTUS Confirms Same-Sex Marriage in Landmark Decision
