The Pennsylvania Department of Health has released a comprehensive 134-page guide to assist school personnel in complying with Act 86 of 2016, which was enacted this past summer. Act 86 permits the voluntary designation of non-nursing school employees to monitor blood glucose levels and administer diabetes medications according to the diabetic student’s service plan or IEP. Diabetes affects more … [Read more...] about Guidelines Issued for Staff Management of Diabetes Medication for Students
School Law Bullet
Deadline for Compliance With Important Provisions Ensuring School Stability for Children in Foster Care is December 10, 2016: Are You Ready?
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires school districts and child welfare agencies to collaborate for the benefit of children placed in foster care. The requirements of the ESSA, which are directed toward school districts, are substantially similar to the obligations of child welfare agencies under the Fostering Connections Act. Children in care are no longer automatically considered … [Read more...] about Deadline for Compliance With Important Provisions Ensuring School Stability for Children in Foster Care is December 10, 2016: Are You Ready?
PDE Issues New Guidance On the Use of Medical Marijuana in Schools, Making This Issue Even Hazier
When the Pennsylvania legislature made medical marijuana legal in the Commonwealth, it provided the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) 18 months to promulgate regulations regarding the use of the same in school by employees and students. It appears that draft regulations will likely be issued in the spring of 2017. However, the use of medical marijuana has become permissible already and, … [Read more...] about PDE Issues New Guidance On the Use of Medical Marijuana in Schools, Making This Issue Even Hazier
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Settles Long-Running Controversy Regarding Home Addresses and Privacy of Public School Employees Under Right To Know Law
On October 18, 2016, the PA Supreme Court settled a seven-year battle over the release of teachers’ home addresses under PA’s Right To Know Law. The Court reached back in history to recall the “fundamental right to be left alone” in holding that the personal right to privacy is infused in the Right To Know Law. There is no automative right to school employees’ personal information under Right To … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Supreme Court Settles Long-Running Controversy Regarding Home Addresses and Privacy of Public School Employees Under Right To Know Law
Revisiting FAPE, High Court Could Significantly Lower the Standard of Required Educational Benefit
On September 29, 2016 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in favor of the school district that Endrew F.’s Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) was designed to provide the autistic youngster with a free appropriate public education (FAPE), affirming the decisions of the Hearing Officer and … [Read more...] about Revisiting FAPE, High Court Could Significantly Lower the Standard of Required Educational Benefit
Banning Disruptive People From Public Meetings: A Delicate Balance
School Board members often must make difficult decisions, and the old adage that one cannot please all of the people all of the time certainly applies in these cases. The patience of Board members can sometimes be exhausted by individuals who disrupt meetings with vehement and inappropriate comments, perhaps even personally directed to Board members. Banging a gavel is often not enough to control … [Read more...] about Banning Disruptive People From Public Meetings: A Delicate Balance
