Last week, after much anticipation, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a decision that told everyone what they already knew. In the matter of Morgan Properties Abrams Run Owner LP, et al v. Upper Merion Area School District, et al, a group of apartment complex owners filed a lawsuit against the School District alleging the District’s process of selecting only under-assessed commercial … [Read more...] about PA Supreme Court Leaves School District Right to Appeal Underassessed Properties Intact, So Long As Appeal Not Based on Property Type
School Law Bullet
“Slant”-ing is OK, Says The High Court
In February, 2017, we discussed a case being argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court brought by Simon Tam, lead singer of a dance/rock band who wanted to register a trademark “The Slants” for his band. The Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) had rejected his application, applying a provision of the Lanham Act that barring the registration of trademarks that may “disparage . . . persons living or … [Read more...] about “Slant”-ing is OK, Says The High Court
Female Students Bring Title IX Suite Against Lock Haven University: It’s Not Sex This Time, But Sports
Amid allegations from the Women’s Law Project that Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania treats its female athletes as “second-class citizens,” eight female athletes from the university are suing Lock Haven in what they characterize as a class action suit, alleging violations of Title IX by unequal treatment of female athletes. The 4220-member student body is 59% female, and the university … [Read more...] about Female Students Bring Title IX Suite Against Lock Haven University: It’s Not Sex This Time, But Sports
A Win for Pedagogically Defensible Syllabi
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that teaching students to avoid inflammatory sexual language in academic writing is a legitimate pedagogical goal, and that educators do not run afoul of the First Amendment by exercising editorial control of students’ course-related expression, even control of the viewpoints expressed therein, if such control relates to legitimate pedagogical … [Read more...] about A Win for Pedagogically Defensible Syllabi
7th Circuit Rules Transgender Students Protected Class Under Title IX and Equal Protection Clause
In an opinion decided just last week, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals joined two other circuits (the 6th and the 11th) in holding that transgender status is indeed a protected class under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause thus broadening the protection for transgendered students throughout the United States. Background of the Case In Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified School District, the … [Read more...] about 7th Circuit Rules Transgender Students Protected Class Under Title IX and Equal Protection Clause
School Personnel as Sexual Predators? Responding to the Threat
In 2004, under a provision of No Child Left Behind, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) commissioned Charol Shakeshaft of Hofstra University to conduct a study of the occurrence of sexual assault in K-12 schools. Shakeshaft’s report, “Educator Sexual Misconduct,” revealed that nearly one in every ten students then in American public schools were exposed to some kind of sexual misconduct at the … [Read more...] about School Personnel as Sexual Predators? Responding to the Threat
