School Law Bullet

On December 18, while schools were preparing to shut their doors for the holiday break, Governor Corbett signed into law a series of ten bills designed to improve the way that Pennsylvania handles child abuse reporting and investigations. Slipped in among those changes, however, was a major overhaul of what was known as the “Professional Educator Discipline Act,“ (which, as a result of the … [Read more...] about Dramatic and Unheralded Changes Made To The Educator Discipline Act

December 17, 2013 decision in Smith v. Township of Richmond affirms Commonwealth Court ruling in favor of Township and hones in on the nature of "deliberations." (See SLB 98, September 11, 2012 for additional details on the case). What Happened In 2010, the Township of Richmond was involved in litigation with a cement company and a citizen group regarding the expansion of a limestone quarry into … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Supreme Court Clarifies Limits on Private Meeting Discussions By Public Entities

Last week, the Commonwealth Court arrived at a decision that will significantly impact the transportation schedules, cost of operations, and protocols for safely ensuring transportation to students in public, charter and private schools. In Timothy Watts v. Manheim School District, the court was faced with a question not previously addressed in Pennsylvania: is a school district obligated to … [Read more...] about Recent Commonwealth Court Ruling Has Substantial Impact on Transportation for Schools