Legal Digest Blog Archive

-- North Texas School District Asks Mom to Prove Her Child is Jewish Dismissal Of Suit By School District Police Officers Upheld On Appeal EEOC Boasts Heightened Enforcement Of Workplace Harassment Laws TEA Issues Police Interaction Curriculum Texas Attorney General Seeks To Intervene In Student Pledge Case Legal Digest to Become ED311! Appeals Court Hears Argument In Case Regarding Special Education Spending In Texas Arrest Of Middle School Students Violated The Fourth Amendment School Reevaluating Dress Code after Suspending Male Student for Makeup FBI releases advisory concerning risks to students using education technologies Commissioner Issues Rules On Handling Unauthorized Persons On Campus TEA Names Justin Porter to Special Education Director Back-to-School Protest Podcast from Amicus The Disabled Student Failed To Prove Discrimination By The District Federal Court Upholds Law Allowing Professors to Carry Guns at School Teacher Assaulted By Student Did Not State Constitutional Violation Exhaustion Was Required In Suit Alleging Breach Of The Administrator’s Non-Chapter 21 Employment Contract One Minute Music Video for Restorative Practices! Texas Attorney General Sends Letter To Fort Worth ISD Demanding Human Sexuality Curriculum Following Santa Fe Shootings, TX Governor Announces School Safety Measures Can School Board Members Block Citizens From Posting On Their Social Media Accounts? Dallas-Area Teacher Sues District for LGBTQ Discrimination What “due process” was Required for the Termination of MS Superintendent? Can Parents Sue The Commissioner Over The STAAR Exam? Focus on Early STEM Education: Resources You Can Use TEA completes work on comprehensive strategic action plan for special education Honoring the Life of Toody Byrd during the 2018 SPED Law Conference Trump Administration Closes Texas Civil Rights Probe TX School Administrators Expect to Need More Funding for SPED Spikes College District Employee Allowed To Proceed With Disability Discrimination & Retaliation Suit US Supreme Court Declines Hearing of Transgender Bathroom Case Supreme Court Lets Stand The Dismissal Of A Teacher’s First Amendment Suit The Career- and Life-Altering Implications of Senate Bill 7: Why Your District and Staff Must Care Parent Requests To View School Video: What Are Their Rights? TEA posts draft strategic plan for special education Legal Digest Goes to SXSWEdu! Meet Our SEL Workshop Presenters, Hilary Simon and Jason Littlefield! Policies Prohibiting Teacher And Student Protests Found Unconstitutional Speaking Engagements from Ed311 Author Padmaja Sarathy Department of Education Will No Longer Investigate Transgender Restroom Complaints LaVernia ISD Faces Two Sexual Assualt Lawsuits Court Finds Track Athlete’s Accommodation Requests Were Unreasonable Rave Reviews for Prof. David Thompson’s Ethics Workshops! Appeals Court Affirms Dismissal Of First Amendment Suit By School Nurse Ed311 Author Dr. Gaye Lang to Present at NAAAS National Conference Court of Appeals Upholds Dismissal Of Teacher’s Suit Alleging Constitutional Violations Texas Federal Court Dismisses Student Sexual Harassment Suit US Department of Education finds TEA liable for Special Education cap Governor Declares January As School Board Recognition Month TEA Statement Regarding Gov. Abbott’s Directive on Special Ed in Texas Federal Court Enters Order Allowing School Players To Kneel During National Anthem Educator Ethics Interview with Professor David Thompson 25750 TEA SPED Review, Personnel Under Fire Watch the Video from our TEXRP Conference! Supreme Court Won’t Take Up Case on Prayer at School Board Meetings Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal Of Suit By 29 District Employees For Political Retaliation Registration Open for 2018 Special Education Law Conference! 5 Mindfulness Resources for Educators Student Enrollment in TX Special Education Programs Jumps District Not Liable For Student Sexual Assault By Principal School Administrators Hit by Harvey Ask Legislative Panel for Break on Testing Good Times at the Texas Restorative Discipline Practices Conference! Hurricane Harvey Instructional Materials Assistance from Texas Education Agency Houston School District Photoshops Homecoming Queen’s Hair, Issues Apology Court Holds Lawsuit Alleging Injuries During Athletics Subject To Dismissal Houston Student Suing School Over Expulsion for Refusing to Stand for the Pledge What to Know about “Bring Your Bible to School Day” US Supreme Court Declines Review on Special Education Cases Back to School Attendees Name Willie Nelson, Don Henley Among TX Heroes New Law Bans Sex Offenders from Living in College Dorms Fall 2017 Catalog from Ed311 Is Your District Adopting the New Rules for Seat Belts on School Buses? How to Help Texas School Districts Recover from Hurricane Harvey Ten Texas Teachers Named Finalists for 2017 Presidential Awards in Math and Science New Legislation To Curb Lice Outbreaks Among Elementary Students Legal Digest Announces Donation to Donor’s Choose Hurricane Harvey Fund US DOE Webinar: Helping Schools and Families Recover from Harvey Local Teachers Help Houston Families Salvage Homes Court Denies Football Coach Request To Kneel And Pray After Games Be Prepared for Harvey’s Impact In Your School District Ways to Help During Hurricane Harvey School Officials Mulling Over New Seat Belt Law UT Officials Remove Confederate Statues in the Middle of the Night Bathroom Bill Dies in Special Session Restorative Discipline Practices Author Visits South Africa David’s Law Combats Bullying in Schools New Video on the TEXRP Conference SB7 Increases Penalties for Teacher/Student Relationships Bathroom Bill highlights difficulties changing birth certificates New Law Limits Suspensions for Young Students NSBA Issues New Guide to Serving Undocumented Students Law School Association Boycotts Texas Over Bathroom, Sanctuary Bills Court Sides With Transgender Student Allowing Him To Use Boys’ Restroom At School Summer Beach Reads from Ed311 & Legal Digest! Recap of the TX 85th Legislative Session Governor Signs Bill with Stiffer Penalties for Inappropriate Educator-Student Relationships Trial Court Holds Suit By Muslim Student Who Brought Homemade Clock To School Failed To State Viable Claims; Court Allows Opportunity To Restate Claims Texas lawmakers pass controversial ‘bathroom bill’ Texas Senate Passes Bill to Increase Access to Virtual Charter Schools Trial Court Allows Case To Proceed Against Bus Monitor For Alleged Assault; Dismisses Claims Against The School District TEA Commissioner Announces New Resources Supporting Educational Needs of Students in Foster Care Texas Passes Bill to Crack Down on Inappropriate Student-Teacher Relationships Special Education 2.0 Author Proposes New Law Teacher Associations Settle Lawsuit Over State’s Teacher Evaluation System Student Not Subjected to Title IX Peer Harassment, According to Appeals Court Special Education 2.0 Author Miriam Freedman to speak at Fordham Institute Seven Year Old Transgender Girl Planned to Testify Against TX Bathroom Bill A Tough Cop Learns to Build Relationships: RDP Author Robert Rico Interview Changing Course, the Seventh Circuit Holds that Sexual Orientation Discrimination Can Give Rise to a Title Vii Employment Discrimination Claim Author of Special Education 2.0 weighs in on IDEA Supreme Court Ruling Houston ISD to pay $300K for audit of special education House Committee to take up new transgender bathroom bill this week Texas Senate Passes Bill to Provide Subsidies for Private Education Ruling from Supreme Court on Special Education Case Living in Gray: Kevin Curtis’ Journey with Restorative Practices Lawsuit Alleged Sufficient Facts for Student to Pursue Negligence Claims Against the District Parent’s Special Education Lawsuit Dismissed for Failure to Pursue a Due Process Hearing Another “Bathroom Bill” is on the Table in Texas this Legislative Session The Texas Attorney General Calls for Religious Equality in the Use of a Frisco ISD Prayer Room; Frisco ISD Superintendent Responds SXSW Edu 2017: The Week in Review Making Wrongs Right: Eloise Sepeda’s Journey in Implementation with Restorative Practices Pennsylvania Judge Issues Injunction in Transgender Student Case Getting to the Root of the Conflict: Interview with Spec Ed Teacher & Co-author of Restorative Discipline Practices Court Finds No Disability Discrimination or Retaliation Stemming from the Counselor’s Termination Supreme Court Backs Family in Case on Denial of Service Dog in School Departments of Education and Justice Withdraw Transgender Guidance Letters District Did Not Violate Transfer Student’s Due Process Rights; But Allowed an Equal Protection Claim to Proceed Texas Lawmaker Files Bill to Expand Sex Education Requirements for Schools Injunction Banning Transgender Students from Using Bathrooms Based on Gender Identity Will Likely Remain in Place Court Finds No First Amendment Violation for Employee’s Criticism of the Board Besty DeVos Confirmed by Senate Registration for Restorative Practices Workshops at Dallas County Texserve Now Open Do IDEA’s LRE Requirements Apply to Preschool Students with Disabilities? Texas Judge Rules Schools Cannot Ban Teachers from Using Marijuana in States Where it’s Legal New Book on Restorative Discipline Practices Now Available Early Bird Registration for Principal’s Law Conference in June Now Open New DOE and DOJ Resource on SRO-Related Policy and Practice When and How Can Employee Leave Be Used as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA? EEOC Issues New Guidance to Help Employers Prevent National Origin Discrimination Reflections on the Evolution of a Multi-Tiered System of Support (RtI) “Bathroom Bill” Unveiled Today Targets School Bathroom Facilities Choreographing Effective Paraeducator Role to Support Learners with Diverse Needs U.S. Supreme Court to Decide What Level of Educational Benefit is Required Under the IDEA Court Rejects First Amendment Suit Filed by Student Who Bullied Two Disabled Students Off Campus First Amendment Speech – When School Employees Openly Support Election Candidates The United States Supreme Court Will Take Up Transgender Student Case District Required to Allow Transgender Student to Use Bathroom Based Upon Gender Identity STAAR Testing Parody Video District is Proactive in Preventing Bullying Federal Court Allows Suit to Proceed Challenging School District Display of Ten Commandments Q&A Discrimination Complaint Department of Education Releases Detailed Guidance on Homeless Students and ESSA $500 Checks for Everyone Lesson Requiring Recitation of the Mexican Pledge Did Not Violate Student’s Rights Texas Federal Court Enjoins Enforcement of DOE/DOJ Transgender Guidelines Welcome Back School Meeting Interrupted by Les Miserables Flash Mob Q&A Student Searches Legal Developments on Serving Transgender Students 4 Things You Should Know About The Senate’s Overhaul Of No Child Left Behind See Vaccine Exemptions in Texas by School District Grievance Policies May Need Revision After Recent Commissioner Ruling Four Cases for Educators to Watch in the New U.S. Supreme Court Term Can Parents Homeschool Without School District Inquiry Or Supervision? Registration for the Personnel Law Conference in December now open! Early Bird Special Extended for the Fall Spec Ed Law Conference. Register Now! It’s not too late to register for a Back to School Workshop near you! US Dept of Ed’s guidance re unaccompanied minors The Board and the Superintendent: Tact and Diplomacy Required TEA offers graduation toolkit to students, parents, school counselors New high school graduation mark set by Class of 2013 With Uncertainty, Texas Schools Brace for New Arrivals Appeals court reinstates Joshua bullying suit TEA launches federal grant flexibility initiative Jim Walsh’s Back to School Special – 11 Locations across Texas! Report: YISD declining enrollment to stabilize; Some schools underutilized Register for the Fall Spec Ed Law Conference and get a huge discount through July! Texas Attorney General’s Office Develops Human Trafficking Prevention Manual for Education Professionals What Does Recent Supreme Court Decision Mean For School Board Prayer? The Law Dawg Tour returns. Fall 2014, 11 Locations across Texas Department of Education Offers Guidance Regarding School Compliance With Federal Civil Rights Laws Texas Education Agency changes how it grades public schools Kountze ISD Cheerleader Football Banner Case Held Moot Prayer at City Board Meetings Did Not Violate The Establishment Clause The “Candy Cane” Case Again Considered By The Fifth Circuit Register on-site for the Special Ed Law Conference in Arlington tomorrow! Arming School Officials Doesn’t Break Texas Law Thousands Skip School On Texas District’s Make-Up Day It’s not too late to register for the Special Ed Law Conference in Arlington! Transgender teacher returns to Texas school Was The Elementary Principal Entitled To Immunity From The Parent’s First Amendment Claims? Did the School District Properly Reassign the Principal to an Assistant Principal Position? School District Not Liable for Nazi-Jew ‘Role Playing’ Lesson Last week to register for the Special Education Law Conference in New Braunfels! Central Texas educators honored with awards No consistency in school free-expression rulings Texas improves school funding but still trails most states Bullies beware: Groundbreaking ruling allows schools to sue students who harass peers Don’t look now, but ‘Education Spring’ is arriving Hot for Charter: Inside the Radical Play to Reinvent Dallas Schools Last day to save $20 when you register for the Conference on Education Law for Principals Texas Ed Commissioner approves trial for tablet use on 8th grade STAAR math test U.S. Department of Education denies state’s double-testing waiver request Don’t forget to register for the Special Education Law Conference in April – 2 locations! Supreme Court Declines District’s Appeal in ‘Boobies’ Student-Speech Case A Daughter’s Facebook Post Costs an Educator $80,000 Commissioner Decision May Have Wide Implications For School Districts Appeals Court Finds No School District Liability In High-Profile Bullying Lawsuit Save $20 when you register for the Conference on Education Law for Principals E-cigarettes banned on Fort Worth school property Kilgore ISD settles outing case Free Speech Upends School Sexting Charges Georgetown works to catch violators with cameras on buses Save $20 when you register for the Conference on Education Law for Principals States sued over education funding Snow Days Give School Districts Headaches Only 13 days left on early bird pricing for Special Education Law Conference – Register Today School districts grapple with explicit Twitter accounts SBOE gives final approval to new graduation program Superintendent’s Termination Did Not Violate the First Amendment Texas school districts ask judge to overturn funding system Supreme Court to Take Up Public-Employee Speech, Cellphone Searches Texas school finance case heads back to court Supreme Court Declines Review in School Employment Cases Only 5 days left of early bird pricing for TEPSA-Legal Digest School Law Workshop – Register Today! COMMENTARY: Lawmakers should equitably fund Texas public schools Dear Colleague Letter Addresses Discriminatory Practices In Student Discipline Review finds about 240 parents banned from Corpus Christi ISD schools in past 6 years Do English-Only Rules In The Workplace Violate Anti-Discrimination Laws? Justices Reject Appeal Over Hot Lunch for Student With Diabetes UPDATE: Texas school district removes suspension from record of gay student who tore pages from Bible Court Upholds Firing of Counselor Who Wrote Sexually Explicit Advice Book Statewide Superintendent Salary Survey Released Equity, Testing Madness, and the Ongoing School Wars La Feria shool district allows tuxedo picture Law Center Threatens Lawsuit Against La Feria ISD Over Trans Teen What To Do When Cyberbullying Spills Onto Your Campus Teaching Students How To Post Responsibly ‘Boobies’ Bracelet Fight Could Go to Supreme Court Who Is Allowed In Closed Session With The Board On A Grievance? Texas school officials reject bullying charge over 91-0 football beatdown Clarification Sought From Attorney General Over Use Of Concealed Handguns On School Campuses Bullying Prevention Month Texas debates whether to require Algebra II in all high school tracks Texas merit pay plan for teachers quietly disappears TEA Releases Draft Rules for HB 5 Graduation Plans Tutoring Company in Texas Draws Fire as State Pulls Back Services Texas public schools textbooks debate turns to evolution, climate change Fight for equal funding of public schools: Q&A with Texas civil rights attorney David G. Hinojosa In Spending $180 Million on Tutoring Help, Much Misuse Texas free from some federal school rating rules Tinker Tour Launches: Is this a good idea? 2 ex-West Texas school officials sentenced The Growing Trend Of Monitoring Student Use Of Social Media Education, Justice Depts. Issue Race Guidance After Fisher Texas Secures Conditional Waiver Battle for religious banners in Kountze heats up Houston Independent School District receives grant from Consulate-General of Japan The First Amendment Protects A School Employee’s Vocal Support Of A School Board Candidate Senator Rodríguez calls for U.S. Department of Education to review student testing statewide East Texas school officials hear state plan to improve ratings SAISD & UIW Sign Letter Of Intent For Medical School CSCOPE foe to speak Friday at hearing in Austin Emergency buckets in Dumas ISD schools YISD employees could pay thousands more in health insurance Military School Districts Struggle To Survive Sequestration Rachel’s Challenge: Start A Chain Reaction At Your School The US Department of Education Denies Texas NCLB Waivers Fight, shots at memorial for teen slain at school CSCOPE tests posted online need rewriting Texas Board of Education influence over textbooks wanes Free school breakfast program to expand under new law Major changes coming to school district funding, area legislators say Austin-area administrator to lead El Paso ISD Tech, health merge under $1.9M, 3-year federal grant in McAllen schools Marshall Co. School District Sends $3M Bond Issue To Voters Assault Leave Rules Put To The Test When Coach Was “Assaulted” But Not Entitled To Leave Lawmaker Leading Call for Arming Teachers Accidentally Shot a Teacher TEA reminds school districts of SB 1474 provisions Student ticketing outlawed in schools Hunt ISD teachers return to school with option to carry firearms Most schools across Texas resume classes Monday Central Texas school district reverses “dangerous” decision Apollo 13 legend Kranz on hand for Texas City SmartLab announcement McKinney ISD, police implement anonymous tip line CSCOPE in the crosshairs El Paso ISD closer to getting new superintendent Can Disclosure Of Student Sexual Orientation Lead To Educator Liability? Ark. district arming more than 20 teachers, staff DISD Wants State School Districts To Avoid Hiring Quitting Teachers Smart Implementation of Bullying Policy School District Improperly Banned Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelets 5th Circuit Vacates Earlier Ruling In § 504 Peer Harassment Case Early high school graduation programs gain traction “Candy Cane Case” Update: Religious Freedom Law Requires Specific Notice Of Claims Yet another turn in the Plano ISD’s “candy cane” case ‘Mark Of The Beast’ Gripe Helps End Student Locator Program Bonuses vs. Raises: Comal ISD Weighing Pay Options for Teachers Georgetown ISD changes drug-testing program’s punishment Legal Digest Newsletter Recent Blog Posts Ed311 Online Store Legal Digest Events Texas School Business Advertisers Voting Rights Act § 4 Unconstitutional, According To The Supreme Court University Affirmative Action Case Yet Unresolved By The Supreme Court Alleged Disclosure Of Student’s Sexual Orientation Did Not Violate The Constitution Texas Supreme Court: Union Representation Not Required During Investigatory Interviews The Student Stated a Valid § 504 Claim Based On Peer Harassment No District Liability For History Lesson On Persecution Can School Districts Recognize “Domestic Partnerships” To Provide Employee Benefits? Displaced West students go back to school following plant blast Teacher groups fail bills tied to new evaluations New Social Media Website “Ask.fm” Linked to Cyberbullying Is Your School A “No Place For Hate” School? Senate Education Committee Approves Bill to Pay for Firearms Training in Schools (Update) Bill to tighten state control over curriculum advances Potential school changes could mean less stress, tests Grading Texas School Reform on an Old-Style Scale House Budget OK Seems to Slam Door on School Vouchers ACLU questions AISD’s plans for single-sex campuses Texas Supreme Court Defines “Appropriate Law Enforcement Authority” Under the Whistleblower Act School District Lawyer Receives Atticus Finch Award STAAR tests begin this week amid uncertainty for 5th-, 8th-graders Some Texas school districts use pay-later bonds Superintendent’s column: What you need to know about House Bill 5 School District Deliberately Indifferent to Peer Harassment Drug Sniff by Police Dog Is a Search, Supreme Court Rules AISD Expands Health Insurance Benefits to Same-Sex Couples, Unmarried Domestic Partners Key bills to be debated in the Texas House and Senate Socorro ISD faces audit in Texas cheating scam Texas education commissioner visits Premont ISD as he weighs closure decision Fifth Circuit Allows § 504 Claim Based on Peer Harassment Texas senators mull contentious sex education bill Did Age Discrimination Motivate The Bus Driver’s Termination? Though Errors Occurred, Fifth Circuit Rules That The Student Received FAPE Federal Appellate Court Upholds Dismissal Of Student-On-Student Harassment Suit Judge Upholds Northside ISD Student ID Badges With Tracking Chip Probationary Employee Allowed To Appeal End-Of-Contract Termination Student Stated Valid Claims Against School District Stemming from Her Alleged Off-Campus Sexual Assaults Based on “Special Relationship” Theory