On December 7, 2017 the U.S. Department of Education issued a document titled “Questions and Answers (Q&A) on U.S. Supreme Court Case Decision Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District Re-1.” The document originated from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which invites public comments. The Q&A attempts to explain to parents and stakeholders the issues … [Read more...] about U.S. Department of Education Issues New Q&A on What Constitutes FAPE
School Law Bullet
NO SHAME: General Assembly Does Away With School Shaming at Lunchtime
On November 6, 2017, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 55, a wide-ranging amendment to the Pennsylvania School Code. One section impacted by Act 55 is School Code Section 1337, which governs the administration of the Nonprofit School Food Program. This program includes the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. As a way of reducing the stigma that can sometimes … [Read more...] about NO SHAME: General Assembly Does Away With School Shaming at Lunchtime
Game On: Commonwealth Court Allows Concussion Lawsuit to Proceed Against PIAA
In Hites, et al. v. Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., the three plaintiffs were student-athletes at different high schools in Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs claimed that while each participated in their respective sports, (two played football, one played softball and volleyball,) they suffered serious head trauma and concussions that went undiagnosed and untreated by athletic … [Read more...] about Game On: Commonwealth Court Allows Concussion Lawsuit to Proceed Against PIAA
Feds Flip Flop On Title IX Protections
In a brief three-page document issued September 22, 2017, the Trump administration accomplished the destruction of two Obama-era legal concepts that appeared anathema to the new administration: (1) Title IX protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, and (2) the requirement that educational institutions receiving federal funding use the preponderance of evidence standard in … [Read more...] about Feds Flip Flop On Title IX Protections
PA Federal Court Judge Reduces Attorney Fee Demands In Potential Game Changer
Recently, a Pennsylvania federal court substantially reduced a parents’ attorney’s fee demand to the hourly rate charged by the school district attorney in A.P. and P.T. v. Shamokin Area School District. It has become an inconvenient truth that special education due process cases are often controlled more by the fear of run-away prevailing party attorney’s fees than by the special needs of the … [Read more...] about PA Federal Court Judge Reduces Attorney Fee Demands In Potential Game Changer
NPC Spends Summer Examining Gender Identity Issues for Sororities and Fraternities
This past summer, the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), an umbrella organization for national and international sororities of college and university women and alumnae, released the report of its Gender Identity Study Group. The Group had been convened in November 2016 to gather and disseminate relevant information for its member organizations on the pressing issues involving inclusion of … [Read more...] about NPC Spends Summer Examining Gender Identity Issues for Sororities and Fraternities
