On November 5, 2021, the Vermont Supreme Court handed down its decision in McVeigh v. Vermont School Boards Association, 2021 VT 86, holding that “there is no general ‘functional-equivalency’ concept contained in the [Public Records Act].” The Court decided that the Vermont School Boards Association … [Read more...]
Vermont Supreme Court Rejects “Functional-Equivalency” Test for Public Records Act
December 3, 2021 by
U.S. DOJ Issues Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students
May 13, 2016 by
On May 13, 2016 the United States Department of Justice and United States Department of Education- Office of Civil Rights issues a Dear Colleague Letter ('DCL') to school officials nationwide on the topic of transgender students and compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The … [Read more...]
Child Abuse Reporting Under Act 60.
October 2, 2015 by
The Department for Children and Families now has a mandatory reporters webpage, describing reporting requirements and procedures as of July 1, 2015, when the new abuse reporting law (Act 60) became effective. The webpage answers frequently asked questions about how and when to report and reporting … [Read more...]
Service Animals and the ADA
July 14, 2015 by
On July 13, 2015 the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a nine page technical assistance FAQ - Service Animals and the ADA to help assist covered entities like schools and municipalities in understanding how the service animal provisions of the regulations apply to them. The FAQ is a follow up to … [Read more...]
Special Education and Section 504 Issues: A Review and Update for Vermont School Administrators
February 27, 2015 by
Patti Page and Dina Atwood will be presenting the last in the 2014-2015 school year Vermont Principals' Association Ed Law Series on March 24, 2015. The focus of this workshop is to provide administrators with an overview of the laws, and identify common errors and pitfalls in Special Education. … [Read more...]
Protecting Student Privacy Using Online Ed Services
February 27, 2015 by
On February 26, 2015 the United States Department of Education's Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) issued a checklist for school districts to use in order to evaluate how well the terms of Service Agreements for applications,online forums or other online programs protect student information … [Read more...]
DOE and DOJ Guidance on Education for Confined Juvenile Students
December 8, 2014 by
On December 8, 2014, the United States Department of Education and the Department of Justice issued a four part set of guidance for assisting both state and local educational agencies in addressing and strengthening the educational services provided to students in juvenile facilities. The … [Read more...]
Education Law Session Vermont Principals’ Association- January 13, 2015
December 1, 2014 by
On January 13, 2015 Steve Stitzel and Dina Atwood will be presenting: Current Issues in Labor and Personnel Law: a Workshop for Public School Administrators and Legislative Update for the Vermont Principals' Association. The workshop is designed to help school administrators, human resource … [Read more...]
Office Of Civil Rights Guidance- Single Sex Classes and Extracurricular Activities
December 1, 2014 by
On December 1, 2014 the United States Department of Education- Office of Civil Rights issued a "significant guidance document" on the issues/limitations of providing single sex classes and extracurricular activities in elementary and secondary Schools under Title IX. The general rule under Title … [Read more...]
United States District Court Rules Against Supervisory Union on Parent’s First Amendment Claim
October 21, 2014 by
The United States District Court for the District of Vermont has found that a Vermont school supervisory union violated the U.S. Constitution when it issued no-trespass notices against a student’s parent. In Cyr v. Addison Rutland Supervisory Union, the Court found violations of the First Amendment … [Read more...]