On May 29, 2025, a federal judge out of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania dismissed a Norwin School Board member’s lawsuit filed against the Norwin School District (“District”)and its former superintendent alleging First Amendment violations. Background in the Case On October 25, 2022, the school board member posted a satirical meme on the Norwin Area … [Read more...] about U.S. District Court Dismisses Norwin School District School Board Members’ First Amendment Lawsuit Against Norwin School District and Former Superintendent
School Law Bullet
SCOTUS Blocks Public Funding for Religious Charter School
On April 30, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) heard oral arguments in the consolidated cases of Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond. Then on May 22, 2025, the deadlocked SCOTUS rejected St. Isidore’s efforts to become the nation’s first religious charter school. Facts in the … [Read more...] about SCOTUS Blocks Public Funding for Religious Charter School
SCOTUS Decision Makes It Easier for Parents to Support Claim for Compensatory Damages Under the ADA and Section 504
In a unanimous decision this week, the United States Supreme Court overturned a higher standard to be applied in the educational context of a need to show bad faith or gross misjudgment by school personnel in order to support a claim for compensatory damages under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA. What does this decision mean for your school? The Supreme Court held that, in the … [Read more...] about SCOTUS Decision Makes It Easier for Parents to Support Claim for Compensatory Damages Under the ADA and Section 504
States Secure Order Restoring Federal Education Funding
On May 6, 2025, Judge Edgardo Ramos of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a Preliminary Injunction Order, barring the United States Department of Education from blocking States’ access to American Rescue Plan Act funding. What practical impact will the Preliminary Injunction Order have on Pennsylvania school districts, charter schools, intermediate units, … [Read more...] about States Secure Order Restoring Federal Education Funding
What Schools Need to Know About the FTC’s New Rule on Children’s Online Privacy
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s primary consumer protection agency, has finalized significant updates to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA), a federal law designed to protect the personal data of children under age 13. The amended rule, released in 2024, will take effect June 23, 2025, with a compliance deadline of April 22, 2026. What Is COPPA? COPPA … [Read more...] about What Schools Need to Know About the FTC’s New Rule on Children’s Online Privacy
Protecting Pennsylvania’s Schools Amid Federal Funding Revocation
In a move that has sent shockwaves through Pennsylvania’s educational landscape, the Trump administration has abruptly revoked $185 million in federal funding previously allocated to the state’s schools. This decision, affecting 116 school districts, charter schools, intermediate units, and career and technical centers, threatens to derail critical initiatives aimed at enhancing student … [Read more...] about Protecting Pennsylvania’s Schools Amid Federal Funding Revocation
