News from Thrun Law

Michigan law requires public schools to adopt their annual budgets by June 30th each year. A taxing entity, including a school district or ISD, must satisfy the truth-in-taxation process if its anticipated operating tax revenue will exceed what it collected in the previous fiscal year (with exceptions for certain taxable additions). Elements of this process include: (1) publishing a newspaper notice, (2) holding a truth-in-taxation public hearing, and (3) approving resolutions proposing and...

With graduation approaching, school officials should consider common graduation-related legal issues and our recommendations for addressing those issues.

Withholding Diplomas and “Walking” at Graduation

The end of the school year is sometimes accompanied by senior pranks and other student misconduct, which may cause school officials to consider withholding a student’s diploma as a disciplinary action. Withholding an earned diploma deprives a student...

As the school year winds down, school officials should review the legal requirements and best practices for incorporating student growth and assessment data into teacher evaluations to avoid common evaluation mistakes.

Student Growth and Assessment Data

Revised School Code (RSC) Section 1249 requires school officials to consider student growth and assessment data or student learning objectives in a teacher’s year-end evaluation. Section 1249 defines...

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires an individualized education program (IEP) team to consider and document in the IEP whether a student with a disability qualifies for extended school year (ESY) services.

ESY is specialized instruction and related services provided beyond the normal school year, such as during summer vacation or other school breaks. ESY’s purpose is to maintain skills – not to work on obtaining new skills. A student...