Updated February 27, 2020 With PERA’s full implementation on September 1, 2016, it is important to remember that all full-time probationary teachers who are first employed with a school district after a district’s PERA implementation date are subject to the new tenure […]
Category: Publications
Illinois Attorney General Supports Right of the Public to Criticize Board Members at Public Meetings
In a recent nonbinding letter, the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor reportedly requested that public boards allow members of the public to speak about concerns with the conduct of specific board members. Boards and their members are not required to respond […]
Web Accessibility: OCR is Back, Is Your Website Ready?
As we mentioned in our article last month, the November 2018 version of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Case Processing Manual (CPM), deleted a section that was added in March 2018 that allowed OCR to dismiss burdensome complaints by […]
Illinois Schools Have Discretion to Define the Instructional Day
Although months have passed since a new law addressing public education funding in Illinois was signed, confusion lingers over the impact of the law on an instructional day for students. Public Act 100-0465, or the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act, […]
IL Appellate Court Upholds School District’s Use of “Unduly Burdensome” FOIA Exemption for “Fishing Expedition” Request
A recent Illinois Appellate Court decision provides welcome support to a school district or other public body faced with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that is more akin to a “fishing expedition” than a targeted request for documents. […]
USCIS Proposes Significant Changes to the H-1B Lottery Process
On December 3, 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule which, if finalized after notice and comment, would significantly change the H-1B lottery process. These proposed changes further implement the 2017 Buy American Hire American […]
A recent Illinois Appellate Court decision addressed the question of whether School Resource Officers (“SROs”) employed by school districts are entitled to district-paid disability and health insurance benefits for “law enforcement officers” under the Public Employee Disability Act (“Disability Act”) […]
ISBE Updates Special Education Notice of Procedural Safeguards
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issued a revised version of its Notice of Procedural Safeguards for Parents/Guardians of Students with Disabilities reflecting a shortened time for response to a student records request. Schools must respond to a request for student […]