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As announced in our September 30, 2025 E-Blast, schools nationwide are joining a lawsuit against PowerSchool and related defendants concerning the December 2024 PowerSchool data breach and PowerSchool’s alleged contract breaches, specifically MDL No. 3149 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
To join the litigation, your board...
As explained in our February 24, 2025, E-Blast, under Public Act 1 of 2025, Michigan’s minimum wage will increase as follows for staff who are not exempt from Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wage requirements (e.g., hourly staff members):
By...
Last month, we provided a general overview of the new state budget, which amends the State School Aid Act (“SSAA”) for State fiscal year 2025-2026. We are now drawing attention to SSAA Section 164k to highlight potential penalties resulting from non-compliance.
Section 164k mandates that schools comply with the following, or risk losing 5% of designated Section 22b funding for school districts, or Section 81 funding for ISDs, during the period of noncompliance if a violation is...
An en banc panel of all 17 judges on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, whose decisions are binding on Michigan schools, recently ruled that a parent group was likely to succeed on the merits of its claim that an Ohio school violated students’ free speech rights when it prohibited them from using “biological pronouns” when referring to transgender and nonbinary students, rather than those students’ preferred pronouns. In a case that highlights the tension between anti-...
On October 14, 2025, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, whose decisions are binding in Michigan, upheld a ruling allowing public schools to censor student speech reasonably determined to be vulgar. B.A. v Tri Co Area Schs, No. 24-1769 (CA 6, 2025). As reported in our September 26, 2024 edition of School Law Notes, this case concerned two students who, on different...
Every year, school officials unwrap the dilemma of how schools can celebrate the winter holidays without landing on the constitutional naughty list. School celebrations occasionally involve religious content that implicates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Under the Establishment Clause, a school must maintain religious neutrality and therefore may not endorse or promote religion.
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the test that courts used for decades to analyze...
State School Aid Act Section 31aa, MCL 388.1631aa, allocates $321 million to support school safety and mental health initiatives. To receive these funds, schools must agree to be subject to a comprehensive investigation and waive certain privileges in the event of a “mass casualty event.” The Michigan Department of Education has updated the opt-in deadline to Sunday, November 16, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. We encourage you to contact a Thrun attorney to weigh all options and determine the best...
Public Act 15 of 2025 (“PA 15”) amended State School Aid Act (“SSAA”) Section 6(8) to postpone a grade range and subject area endorsement requirement for teaching certificates, substitute permits, authorizations, and approvals until the 2026-27 school year.
The Michigan Department of Education (“MDE”) issued an October 24, 2025...
Special education evaluations provide individualized education program (IEP) teams with critical information that guides the development of a student’s IEP. Occasionally, a parent will disagree with a school’s evaluation. When this occurs, a parent may request an independent educational evaluation (IEE) at the school’s expense. An IEE is an evaluation conducted by a parent-chosen examiner.
A parent may request an IEE orally or in writing. The school then has seven calendar...
Bueller? Bueller? While a legendary day off made an iconic movie plot, the reality of student absenteeism is a far less glamorous challenge for schools. This article will help school officials better understand the truancy process so they are not left feeling like Principal Rooney.
Truancy versus Educational Neglect
Truancy and educational neglect are often conflated terms. Truancy is when a student of mandatory attendance age (6 or older) is absent...