On July 14, the Commonwealth Court addressed a request for “all emails” and determined that it was insufficiently specific to require an agency response. A three-part test will now help with Right To Know Law (RTK) requests for “all records.” Here’s What Happened On August 5, 2014, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette submitted a Right to Know request to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), … [Read more...] about Edging Closer to Rules for Addressing Specificity Concerns Under Right to Know Law
School Law Bullet
PDE Releases Model Policy on Student Suicide
Suicide rates among adolescents have risen sharply in the past several years, and now are the second to third leading cause of death among individuals in that age group. The rise in American teenagers’ internet use, mobile phone accessibility and use, and social networking use correlates with the rise in teenagers’ suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The most recent national Youth Risk … [Read more...] about PDE Releases Model Policy on Student Suicide
Student Need and Equality Matter Most When it Comes to Transportation of Special Education Students to Someplace Other Than Their Home
A recent case out of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania provides some helpful guidance on how to address parental requests for transportation of special education students. In the case of S.K. v. North Allegheny School District (- 2015 WL 1285794; Civil Action No. 14 - 218 (W.D.Pa., Mar. 20, 2015), the court was called upon to address a difficult case in … [Read more...] about Student Need and Equality Matter Most When it Comes to Transportation of Special Education Students to Someplace Other Than Their Home
Court Finds That Schools Do Have the Ability to Place Limits on Unreasonable Parents and Provides Guidance on How to Do So
In a recent case, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has made it clear that a school district can impose limits on a parent when the parent acts in a manner that is abusive or inappropriate towards school staff. Facts in the Case In Grim v Pennsbury School District, (- 2015 WL 1312482; Civil Action No. 14-04217 (E.D.Pa., Mar. 24, 2015), a parent who was in … [Read more...] about Court Finds That Schools Do Have the Ability to Place Limits on Unreasonable Parents and Provides Guidance on How to Do So
Court Continues Injunction Regarding Disclosure of Employee Addresses Under RTKL
As you know, we have been closely following this story and are trying to keep everyone informed as it develops. Here is the bottom line. On March 17, 2015, the Commonwealth Court has entered an order that continues the injunction against disclosure of employee home addresses, provided that the injunction will remain in effect only until either: (1) 15 days from today if neither party files a … [Read more...] about Court Continues Injunction Regarding Disclosure of Employee Addresses Under RTKL
Commonwealth Court Reinstates Injunction Regarding Disclosure of Home Addresses Under RTK Law
As indicated in School Law Bullet 150 this past week, on February 18, the Commonwealth Court determined that the Right to Know Law is so procedurally flawed that it violates the rights of individuals to participate when a record containing their home address is requested. The Court directed school districts to notify individuals when such records are requested to enable them to present reasons … [Read more...] about Commonwealth Court Reinstates Injunction Regarding Disclosure of Home Addresses Under RTK Law