Recent school bullying decisionsBy Roland CrossEducation Law, January 2015In August and September 2014, the Second District Appellate Court of Illinois and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued decisions with respect to school bullying.
New Public ActsBy Phil MilskEducation Law, October 2014Recent legislation of interest to education law practitioners.
Streamlined dismissals for tenured teachers: The OAED processBy Eric GrodskyEducation Law, June 2014With most Illinois districts’ PERA implementation dates quickly approaching, it is imperative that all stakeholders understand this process in order to proceed consistently with the School Code.
Noteworthy new cases in education lawBy Neal Takiff, Kelly Coyle, Roland Cross, Stephen G. Katz, & Edward J. CopelandEducation Law, May 2014Recent cases of interest to education law practitioners.
CorrectionEducation Law, February 2014Acknowledging an error in the October issue of this newsletter.
New casesBy Phil MilskEducation Law, February 2014A summary of the recent case of Jenna R. P., et al., v. The City of Chicago School District No. 229, et al.
Public Act 98-0513 clarifies provisions on personnel evaluationsBy Everett E. Nicholas, Jr.Education Law, October 2013Public Act 97-008, which was signed into law on June 13, 2011, had several issues which created confusion. Now a new law, which became effective on August 20, 2013, resolves some of those issues.
A little more confusion from the PAC on closed sessionsBy Ruth A. SchlossbergLocal Government Law, July 2013Two recent confusing opinions issued by the Public Access Counselor have the potential to limit a public body’s ability to reach consensus and to plan future action in closed sessions.
Case law update: Carr v. Koch, 2012 IL 113414By Edward J. CopelandEducation Law, June 2013In this decision, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the Complaint was properly dismissed by the Appellate Court for the reason that the Plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the law without finding it necessary to address the Plaintiffs’ argument that they had stated a claim for violation of the equal protection clause of the Illinois Constitution.
Legislation watchBy Phil MilskEducation Law, June 2013Recent legislation of interest to education law practitioners.
Remediation plan invalidated by Fourth DistrictBy Roland CrossEducation Law, June 2012After receiving an unsatisfactory evaluation, a tenured teacher was required to participate in a Section 24-A remediation plan.
State legislative updateBy Phil MilskEducation Law, June 2012A list of recent bills of interest to education law practitioners.
Stop the killingBy Hon. Ann Breen-GrecoAlternative Dispute Resolution, May 2012Many schools have ADR practices written into their Code of Conduct but somehow it is not working as well as it should.
Doe-3 v. White: Illinois Supreme Court to decide school district liabilityBy Roland CrossEducation Law, February 2012The basic issue raised in this case, which Illinois school districts face on a routine basis, centers around what information a school district can or should provide to successor districts that contemplate hiring teachers who previously served in the initial district.
New education lawsBy Phil MilskEducation Law, February 2012A summary of noteworthy education and related legislation that recently went into effect in Illinois.
The Spircoff loophole to the Peterson bar to retroactive college educational expensesBy Michael W. KalcheimFamily Law, December 2011After Petersen and Spircoff, practitioners must be extremely careful in drafting college expense provisions. When the provisions are examined when the children reach college age, the court will presume that the drafter was aware of both cases and their meaning.
Case dismissed when plaintiff fails to sign settlement agreementBy Michael R. LiedLabor and Employment Law, October 2011In this case, the parties intended to enter into a settlement agreement and did so at the conclusion of an April 25, 2009 conference. In fact, the plaintiff affirmed her understanding of the settlement terms and indicated her acceptance of those terms on the record.
Case note: SPEED District 802 v. Warning, No. 108785 (Ill. Sup. Ct. 2/25/11)By JoAnn G. LimEducation Law, October 2011Reversing the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board and the appellate court’s decisions, the IL Supreme Court ruled that the District did not commit an unfair labor practice when it did not renew teacher's contract.
Community schools: A model for successBy Melissa MitchellEducation Law, October 2011The author argues that Illinois should adopt the community school model statewide.
