Sep 22, 2017
Two small provisions of the comprehensive school-funding reform bill relieve Illinois school districts of some significant curriculum requirements. First, the law removes the requirement that Illinois schools offer “daily” physical education. Instead, the new law provides “A school board may determine the schedule or frequency of physical education courses, provided that a pupil engages in a course of physical education for a minimum of 3 days per 5-day week.” That means that, under the new law, it is up to
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Sep 20, 2017
Senate Bill 1947 introduces two changes to the process by which school districts seek waivers from School Code mandates. Upon initial review, the changes do not appear drastic, but they do make the waiver request process slightly less onerous. Districts that may be interested in submitting a waiver request should take note of the following. The first change provides districts with additional reasons to cite when requesting a waiver of a School Code mandate. Previously, school districts
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Sep 19, 2017
Beginning September 19, 2017 Teach Illinois will release a series of webinars featuring six Tueth Keeney attorneys unpacking and working through the landmark school funding reform bill that became law in Illinois on August 31, 2017. This new law, SB 1947, not only reforms the school funding formula, but it also revises many provisions in the school code. Tueth Keeney attorneys are taking the law piece-by-piece to explain
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Jun 16, 2017
Yesterday, it became public that the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education has issued new internal guidance regarding investigations conducted by that office. As the memorandum notes, the guidance is effective “immediately” and “applies to all complaints currently in evaluation or investigation, as well as newly-filed complaints.” There are two main policy directives of note: “¢ Increased discretion and control over investigations by Regional Offices ““ the guidance removes
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Mar 29, 2017
Tueth Keeney attorney Merry Rhoades presented a webinar for Teach Illinois on March 28, 2017. Merry spoke on the subject of Restorative Justice in Illinois School law, including the significant revisions to student discipline procedures imposed by Senate Bill 100. SB100 implements principles of restorative justice, and requires schools to use restorative practices rather than “˜zero tolerance”™ discipline policies, with an intent to reduce the so-called school-to-prison pipeline. Teach Illinois is a collaborative venture among the Illinois Regional
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Mar 23, 2017
The United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1 on March 22, 2017, which addressed the question of how to determine whether a child with disabilities has received appropriate educational benefits as required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Court’s unanimous decision vacated and remanded the Tenth Circuit’s ruling below, rejecting the court of appeal’s application of a “merely more than de minimis“ standard for determining
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Mar 9, 2017
D. Shane Jones gave a presentation on collective bargaining on March 9th, 2017 at the ISDLAF+ symposium in O’Fallon, IL. The symposium was a roundtable discussion which included the following discussion items: “¢Benefits ““ health plans, cost control, insurance committees “¢Retirement issues ““ 6% cap controls, post-retirement payments “¢Special education ““ response to intervention, case loads, class sizes, time “¢Regular education ““ time and testing “¢Evaluation “¢General economic issues ““ reopening contracts, wage concessions, Reduction in
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Jan 17, 2017
Ian Cooper was recently a featured speaker at the Illinois Council of School Attorneys”™ 30th Annual Seminar on School Law in Chicago, Illinois. Ian presented on “Practical and Ethical Considerations in Practicing Before the US Supreme Court and the Illinois Supreme Court.” Ian P. Cooper serves clients in employment, higher education, commercial, and tort matters. Ian regularly serves as lead counsel in significant cases, including class actions and other complex litigation. Ian has tried numerous jury and bench trials
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Nov 4, 2016
On October 26-27, 2016, D. Shane Jones presented at the 2016 Regional Conferences in Decatur and Mt. Vernon Illinois sponsored by the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBo) and the Illinois Association of School Personnel Association (“IASPA). Shane gave a presentation entitled Collective Bargaining Under Recent Changes in the Fiscal and Legal Landscape. D. Shane Jones practices in the areas of labor & employment law, education law, and higher education in
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Nov 4, 2016
On October 26-27, 2016, Rob Jackstadt presented at the 2016 Regional Conferences in Decatur and Mt. Vernon Illinois sponsored by the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBo) and the Illinois Association of School Personnel Association (“IASPA). Rob gave a presentation entitled “The Construction Process: Reducing Defects”. Robert L. Jackstadt practices in the areas of commercial, construction and education litigation. Rob has tried to a conclusion numerous jury and bench trials in federal and
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Laura E. Hemmer
Merry Rhoades
Robert L. Jackstadt
Kate L. Nash
Kylie S. Piatt
Ian P. Cooper