On August 1, 2016, the United States Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and Office of Special Education Programs issued a Dear Colleague Letter suggesting that, in many cases, a student’s short-term disciplinary removal from the classroom should […]
DOE Issues Updated Guidance on Homeless Students
August 11, 2016
The Department of Education recently issued three pieces of guidance, including detailed non-regulatory guidance, a student fact sheet, and a “Dear Colleague” letter, all of which address meeting the needs of homeless students as required by the McKinney-Vento Act, amended by the Every […]
Student Residency Hearing Revisions to the Illinois School Code Effective January 1, 2017
August 4, 2016
Effective January 1, 2017, the process by which school districts in Illinois may dispute student residency will fundamentally change. Public Act 99-0670 (HB 4606) was signed by Governor Rauner on July 29, 2016, amending Section 10-20.12b of the Illinois School Code. […]
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 […]
On July 20, 2016, the Illinois Appellate Court reversed the decision of the circuit court in Veazey v. Rich Township High School District 227, et al. and sent the case back to the circuit court with instruction that Mr. Veazey, a taxpayer […]
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 […]
Recently, the Illinois Appellate Court (First District) issued its decision in Better Government Association v. Illinois High School Association and Consolidated High School District 230 affirming the lower court’s dismissal of the case, and holding that the IHSA is not subject to […]
Effective June 30, 2016, the Open Meetings Act (OMA) has been amended to allow elected board members, or those appointed to fill vacancies on the board, to access closed session recordings and minutes. Access must be granted to the board […]