Common Questions Related to Family Law
As the school year is well underway, school districts often face various family law related requests. These requests range from a parent’s access to student education records to parental decision-making authority over a child’s education. These requests are frequently accompanied by legal documents, such as a court order – which often lead to several legal questions. Two common legal questions often arise: (1) Can a non-custodial parent have access to their child’s…
Legalease September 2025 | Navigating Parent Opt Outs After Mahmoud v. Taylor
In recent years, parents unhappy with a school’s curricular decisions or policy choices have provided a multitude of “opt outs” on a number of bases. In June, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in Mahmoud v. Taylor and acknowledged a limited right to opt out of certain curriculum based on religious objections. In Mahmoud, the school district introduced a variety of LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks into the elementary school curriculum, which presented topics…
May LegalEase 2025 | Compliance Reminders – One for This Year, and One for Next
With the end of the year upon us, there’s still time to focus on one big compliance change for this year (teacher evaluations), and one compliance change for next year (cardiac emergency response plans). Teacher Evaluations Last year’s legislative changes for teacher evaluations are coming to a head as we reach the last few weeks of the school year. While teacher (and administrator) evaluations are now potentially collectively bargained, there are a…
May 2025 LegalEase | Student Issues at End of Year Events
The end of the school year comes with a flurry of events: concerts, plays, athletic championships, trips to Cedar Point, graduations, and, of course, prom. The conclusion of the school year is invigorating after a long, cold winter, but certain legal risks accompany these celebrations. This article focuses on legal issues surrounding dances, particularly prom, but the principles discussed offer important lessons for other end-of-year events as well. School dances, including prom,…
November LegalEase | Developing Effective AI Policies
The development of generative artificial intelligence in the form of large language models is potentially a game changer for educators across the country. Artificial Intelligence is really good at assisting with mundane and repetitive tasks. But risks abound and school administrators should be mindful of the risks to make sure concerns can be addressed before letting staff and students loose with this new tool. Critically, there are few suggestions that legislators at…
October LegalEase | Student Displays
As the calendar turns to October in a presidential election year, there are a growing number of questions and concerns about the First Amendment rights of students. Student walkouts and armbands are the traditional fodder for student protest behaviors – but what about when a student wants to prepare a display on school property? Invariably, the discussion about a display will involve an allegation that the display is on “public property” and…
September 2024 LegalEase | TITLE IX
On August 1, new Title IX regulations took effect which reshaped Title IX compliance for school administrators across the country. While there is some uncertainty about which rules apply to whom and lots of ongoing litigation, it’s still a subject that’s top of mind for school administrators. New Rules Broaden Definitions The new Title IX regulations broaden the definition of sex harassment in meaningful ways. First, Title IX jurisdiction has been expanded beyond the…
June 2024 LegalEase | ED Issues Final Title IX Regulations
On April 19, 2024, the Department of Education (ED) issued final regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Act Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). The Department spent months hearing from stakeholders through in-person meetings, town halls, and over 240,000 public comments. Given the length and complexity of the regulations, this alert does not cover all of the significant changes, but highlights a few of the high-level changes of which clients should take…
June 2024 LegalEase | ED Issues Final Title IX Regulations
On April 19, 2024, the Department of Education (ED) issued final regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Act Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). The Department spent months hearing from stakeholders through in-person meetings, town halls, and over 240,000 public comments. Given the length and complexity of the regulations, this alert does not cover all of the significant changes, but highlights a few of the high-level changes of which clients should take…
LegalEase | Can I Block that Person Who’s Questioning Me?
The Supreme Court of the United States in Lindke v Freed, outlined a standard for how, and when, public officials can regulate their own social media. In Lindke, a Michigan city manager converted their personal Facebook page to a public page, meaning that anyone could see and comment on his posts. The city manager continued to operate the Facebook page himself and regularly posted about his personal life. The city manager also posted…