The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has issued a revised policy on “Mandated Reporters Failure to Report” providing a mechanism for on-line reporting as an alternative to telephonic reporting. The new policy, following a year long pilot, provides a welcome...
Connecticut State Board of Education Adopts Educational Standards for Expelled Students
The Connecticut State Board of Education (State Board) adopted Standards for Educational Opportunities for Students Who Have been Expelled (Standards) on January 3, 2018. The State Board acted in response to P.A. 17-200, An Act Concerning Education Mandate Relief,...
The United States Supreme Court Grants Certiorari in 4th Circuit Transgender Student Case
On Friday, October 28, 2016, the United States Supreme Court announced that it will hear an appeal from a ruling by the 4th Circuit in the controversial case of G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board, 116 LRP 15374 (4th Cir. 04/19/16). In Gloucester, a transgender...
New Special Legislation Requires Principals To Certify DCF Training Has Occurred and Increases Penalties For Failing To Report Suspected Abuse
School employees who fail to report child abuse may face tougher penalties for failing to report such incidents to DCF or the police as a result of a law passed by the General Assembly. Public Act 15-205, An Act Protecting School Children, increases, from a class A...
New Standard Proposed by EDNY for IEP’s of Bullied Special Needs Students
In a decision issued July 24, 2014, Senior United States District Court Judge Jack Weinstein has authored an opinion proposing a new standard for evaluating whether the IEP of a special education student who has experienced bullying provides that student with a free...
Protecting Student Privacy When Cloud Computing and Outsourcing School Student Record Functions to Third Parties
The way student records are created, accessed and stored is changing drastically increasing concerns about schools’ ability to protect student privacy as required under laws such as the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children’s Online...
OCR Chief and DOJ Section Head Answer Tough Questions From School Attorneys At National Law Seminar
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Chief Catherine Lhamon along with U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)Education Opportunities Section head Anurima Bhargava attended the April 2014 School Law Seminar held in New Orleans and fielded questions from...
FERPA Amended to Grant Easier Access to Education Records by Child Welfare Agencies
Earlier this year, FERPA was amended to grant child welfare agency representatives, agency caseworkers, or a tribal organization access to the education records of children within their care and protection. The new exemption was created in order to prevent delays and...
New Legislation Decriminalizes Theft of School Accommodations for Non-Residency
Although rarely done, in the past few years, several Connecticut public school districts have been featured in the news for seeking criminal remedies against parents for theft of educational services. Parents who allegedly enrolled and sent their child to a school...
Gun Bill Includes Many New Requirements For School Boards
While the other aspects of Connecticut’s new gun control law have received more notoriety, the new law included a number of provisions intended to improve school safety and security including the following: Requires each school to have a safety committee; Requires...