Since 2014, the National Labor Relations Board has issued three significant decisions related to union organizing at private universities: Pacific Lutheran University; Columbia College; and Northwestern University. We previously reported on each of these decisions. All three cases were “representation cases” and arose […]
Category: Higher Education
OCR Complaints – Trends and Predictions
December 21, 2016
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently issued two reports highlighting its work during both fiscal year (FY) 2016 and President Obama’s entire eight-year term of office. The number of OCR complaints filed during FY 2016 […]
Supporting Undocumented Students in High School and College
December 8, 2016
In the wake of the presidential election, we have experienced a noticeable increase in the number of inquiries from both our K-12 and higher education clients concerning the unique and complex issues facing undocumented youth and their families. School personnel […]
Department of Education Releases Training Materials on Handling Sexual Misconduct
September 30, 2016
The Department of Education (DOE) recently released the Safe Place to Learn resource package, providing schools with a variety of materials aimed at eliminating student-on-student sexual harassment and sexual violence. The resource package is one of a collection of tools commissioned by […]
Federal Appeals Court Decries State of Federal Civil Rights Law on Sexual Orientation Discrimination
August 2, 2016
On Thursday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit re-affirmed prior court holdings that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, but in so doing pointedly criticized the current […]
Local Government Travel and Entertainment Expenses Come Under Greater Scrutiny with New Law
August 1, 2016
Over the past few years there has been no shortage of FOIA requests and media attention on how school districts and other units of local government spend or reimburse spending on conferences, dining, and travel. Last week Governor Rauner signed […]
American College Health Association Releases Guidelines to Address Campus Sexual and Relationship Violence
June 21, 2016
Last week, the American College Health Association (ACHA) released guidelines for addressing sexual and relationship violence on college and university campuses. According to the ACHA, the purpose of the guidelines is to promote trauma-informed policies and practices that will provide a comprehensive […]
Department Of Education Issues Guidance on Improving Gender Equity in Career and Technical Education Programs
June 20, 2016
On June 15, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in conjunction with the Department’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) issued a Dear Colleague Letter (“Letter”) addressing gender equity in Career and Technical Education (CTE) […]