The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) recently joined a national campaign to protect endangered monarch butterflies. As of May 2017, IDOT is mowing only 15 feet from the edge of roadways, reducing the total amount of mowed land, allowing milkweed […]
Category: K-12 Education
Breakfast After the Bell Explained
In August 2016, Governor Rauner signed Public Act 099—0850 creating the “Breakfast After the Bell” program. Historically, schools have provided breakfast prior to the start of the school day. However, the traditional model may discourage student participation due to stigma, transportation, […]
Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor Issues Binding Opinions Regarding FOIA Exemptions
The Public Access Counselor (PAC) of the Illinois Attorney General’s office recently issued two binding opinions addressing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Specifically, the opinions found two public bodies in violation of FOIA for improper application of the “deliberative […]
Candice Jackson, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights’ Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, recently provided a “new internal guidance” memorandum to staff that significantly changes the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) protocols for investigating civil rights […]
IL Supreme Court Rules IHSA Not Subject to FOIA
The FOIA litigation saga continues as the Illinois Supreme Court in Better Government Association v. IHSA ruled in favor of the athletic association and High School District 230, holding that the records requested are not public records subject to the Freedom […]
Transgender High School Student Prevails in Bathroom Access Case Before Federal Appellate Court Over Illinois
In an opinion issued last week, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decided in favor of a transgender student who challenged his high school’s decision to limit his access to boys’ communal bathrooms. Ash Whitaker, a high school senior, brought […]
Recently the Second District Appellate Court issued an opinion holding that the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) applied to certain records in the possession of the College of DuPage Foundation, a 501(c)(3) entity separate from the College of DuPage. […]
The Public Access Counselor recently issued a non-binding opinion holding that public bodies have the discretion to decide whether to waive or reduce copying fees associated with the production of documents responsive to FOIA requests. The request, in this case, sought documents […]