News from Thrun Law

In last month’s edition of School Law Notes, we discussed the importance of annually filing the Municipal Finance Qualifying Statement form with the Michigan Department of Treasury by December 31. A successful Qualifying Statement submission gives a school “qualified status” for the upcoming year. Obtaining qualified status...

If your school has outstanding bonds, it likely entered into a “continuing disclosure agreement” when the bonds were issued. That agreement requires the school to submit certain “continuing disclosure” documents and information annually to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s Electronic Municipal Market Access System (EMMA),...

Public schools across Michigan find themselves in an unfamiliar budgetary situation – more short-term revenue than usual due to the Elementary and Second­ary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds and unexpectedly robust state revenues. Labor unions will quickly recognize this circumstance, and will likely pro­pose significant wage increases during contract negotiations and wage reopeners. School negotiators must be prepared to oppose costly legacy increases that the district may not be able...

This month’s Back to Basics article addresses the legal parameters of student searches. When conducting a student search, school officials must understand and evaluate the Fourth Amendment issues that may be implicated.

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreason­able searches and seizures” from the State, including public schools. Generally, students have a reasonable...