The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education has released the 2016 edition of the Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting to guide institutions of higher education in complying with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, better known simply as the “Clery Act.” The 265-page 2016 Handbook replaces the 2011 edition, and … [Read more...] about U.S. Department of Education Releases Clery Act Handbook 2016
School Law Bullet
Applying Tinker Standard to “Off-Campus” Online Student Speech, Middle District Upholds Student’s Expulsion
R.L. v. Central York School District, a case out of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, secures a win for school administrators’ authority to discipline a student for speech expressed on social media “away from school property on a personal computer.” Citing that “[t]he medium is not the issue - it is the message that is problematic”, the District Court’s … [Read more...] about Applying Tinker Standard to “Off-Campus” Online Student Speech, Middle District Upholds Student’s Expulsion
Some New Developments To Consider Before Audio Recording on School Buses
Over the last few months, there have been some developments in the law that school entities who are considering, or are currently, audiotaping on school buses need to take into consideration before deciding if this is a good idea. First, the requirements for what notice must be provided before recording has changed. Second, the recordings might be considered public records that have to be produced … [Read more...] about Some New Developments To Consider Before Audio Recording on School Buses
Back To School… Or Not? The Stakes of Truancy
School truancy is currently receiving serious attention across the country, particularly in Philadelphia after District Attorney Seth Williams implemented a new truancy initiative in the city’s charter schools. The DA mandated that reckless endangerment charges be filed against charter school parents who refuse to meet with school officials after their students have been truant 10 or more days in … [Read more...] about Back To School… Or Not? The Stakes of Truancy
High Court Approves Affirmative Action For Higher Education
On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court, for the second time in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, affirmed the constitutionality of the University of Texas policy which considers the race of applicants as one factor in its admissions decisions. Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority, adopted an approach modeled on the 2003 High Court decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, which sanctioned … [Read more...] about High Court Approves Affirmative Action For Higher Education
No Running in the Halls! – Injury During Inside Track Practice Could Result in Liability for School District
In a case that cuts deep into a school district’s historic immunity for negligent supervision, the court in B.D. v. Downingtown Area School District, No. 15-6375 (E.D.Pa.Jun. 20, 2016), took the unusual step of finding that the improper handling of a track practice held inside and resulted in a student being injured could be a case of state-created danger under Section 1983, and falls within an … [Read more...] about No Running in the Halls! – Injury During Inside Track Practice Could Result in Liability for School District
