Earlier this month, two federal courts issued decisions in cases involving the rights of transgender students. These decisions should help school districts understand their legal obligations as they apply to all students.
Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board
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Memorial Day is the official day on which the United States (U.S.) honors and remembers those who have died in active military service. As we prepare to gather with family and friends, it’s also a good time to review supports available to military families and their children in Ohio’s schools.
About 34,000 students in Ohio are children from…
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced today it is launching a new “technical assistance initiative” to assist schools, districts, state education agencies, libraries, colleges and universities in making their websites and online programs accessible to individuals with disabilities. …
In early April, the division of legal services posted about OSBA’s participation in the Ohio Attorney General-led opioid epidemic meeting…
In the current discussions involving school shooting incidents and arming staff members, one interesting question that inevitably arises concerns collective bargaining issues that may come into play as well. Obviously, permitting staff to possess firearms, as well as expecting them to use them if the situation dictates can be construed as a term or condition of employment. However, remember that in Ohio, only staff members who can possess a concealed handgun license can…
Earlier this week, the U. S. Department of Education’s (USDOE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released the most recent biennial Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). The data included in the 2015-16 CRDC was self-reported by more than 17,300 public school districts and almost 96,400 public schools and educational programs.
The…
Yesterday, the federal Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) released an FAQ about how photos and videos should be treated under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
FERPA generally prohibits school districts from disclosing personally identifiable…
Everyone is guilty of allowing body language to convey a message, whether consciously or unconsciously. However, a recent court case proves that body language also can pose a legal risk. In Cimino v. Magee-Womens Hosp. of UPMC, W.D.Pa Civil…
On March 27, OSBA participated in the Ohio Attorney General’s meeting Ideas for Our Future: Addressing childhood trauma to create positive outcomes. This was the fifth Attorney General-led meeting addressing the opioid epidemic in Ohio, but the first directly focusing on the epidemic’s impact on children and families. The goal was to share information about programs across Ohio that are working so all interested parties…
The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) recently published a new policy brief – What School Leaders Need to Know – detailing schools’ legal requirements regarding transition planning to help students with disabilities prepare for work after graduation.
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