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One area commonly addressed by board policies and administrative guidelines is student discipline procedures, including suspension and expulsion hearings. Many schools, however, have administrative guidelines for student suspension and discipline hearings that violate Section 7(2) of the Open Meetings Act (OMA). These problematic guidelines state that a student has a right to receive a transcript of a student discipline hearing upon a parent’s or the student’s request, regardless of...
Vaping, a phenomenon in which an individual uses an e-cigarette or other electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) device to inhale vapor, has surged in popularity among students in recent years. The FDA’s definition of “tobacco product” now includes ENDS devices, but many board policies and handbook language on the use of tobacco products do not encompass ENDS devices or their component parts.
Thrun Law Firm has developed model policy and handbook language prohibiting the use of...
On July 3, 2018, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education jointly released a new “Dear Colleague Letter” (DCL) withdrawing the following previously released guidance documents:
Public Act 256 of 2017, effective March 28, 2018, amends many parts of the Child Care Organizations Act. One of the most significant changes is the new requirement that all child care center staff who have unsupervised access to children (employees, contractors, and volunteers) must undergo a newly created “comprehensive background check,” which includes an FBI fingerprint records check. All child care center staff who will be unsupervised with children must have these new background checks...
Section 1274a of the Revised School Code authorizes schools to undertake energy improvement projects and finance them through a variety of methods. Under Public Act 23 of 2017, the Michigan Legislature previously amended Section 1274a to allow school energy improvement projects to include “operational improvements” in addition to...
Following a trend set by several federal courts in the past year, two more federal courts recently issued opinions supporting transgender students’ rights to access restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity. Grimm v Gloucester Co Sch Bd, Case No. 4-54 (ED Va, May 22, 2018); Doe v Boyertown...
As the school year comes to a close, school districts must act soon to enroll schools of choice students for the 2018-2019 school year.
The State School Aid Act allows an enrolling district to count non-resident students in membership without resident district approval under certain circumstances. Allowing schools of choice...
On May 9, 2018, Governor Snyder signed a package of three laws aimed at protecting student sexual assault victims who attend school with the perpetrator. These laws, which will take effect on August 8, 2018, may have significant implications for our clients.
The first of the three laws requires courts to prohibit a student adjudicated for criminal sexual conduct or assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct from attending the same school building or riding the same school...
As the school year winds down, we recommend contacting your favorite Thrun Law Firm attorney to get back-to-school professional development sessions on the calendar! Back-to-school is a busy time, and many schools have already scheduled professional development. We recommend considering professional development in the following...