The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is one of our nation’s most important education laws. It requires that all children be given a free appropriate public education (FAPE) by ensuring that qualifying students with disabilities receive special...
Education Law
NLRB: Private college athletes are employees and can unionize
The term “student athlete” was created essentially to hide the fact that college-level athletes are actually employees, according to the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In fact, she threatened to take action against colleges and...
Student athletes now eligible for pay. They should be represented.
After winning three Olympic medals, gymnast Sunisa Lee will head to Auburn University this fall as one of the first athletes eligible to receive endorsement deals without sacrificing their amateur status. She might receive a substantial amount of money – if she’s...
Department of Education: Title IX protects transgender students
Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972 was passed to prohibit sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. Recently, it has been open to question whether Title IX should be read to protect gay and transgender students from...
What is Seth’s Law, California’s anti-bullying statute?
In 2010, a 13-year-old California boy named Seth took his own life after experiencing years of anti-gay bullying in school. His school had failed to address the bullying, even though California law requires that all public school students be given equal access to...
Can schools punish kids for social media posts on their own time?
Do students have free speech rights that protect their non-school-related social media posts? Or can schools discipline students for violating school rules during their free time? The question is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. The plaintiff is Brandi L, who...
US Supreme Court to decide if college athletes must be paid
In 2014, a group of college athletes filed a class action against the National Collegiate Athletic Association and other major athletic conferences. They argued that the NCAA’s eligibility and compensation restrictions, meant to keep college sports amateur, are...
Report: Many more students receive failing grades during pandemic
How important is in-person instruction to a child’s school success? The coronavirus pandemic is giving unique insights into the process of learning. Even as schools and the community struggle to decide the right way to deal with the threat of illness, new information...
Court: Harvard’s affirmative-action doesn’t illegally discriminate
In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that universities cannot use race as the determining factor in admissions. In that case, declined students argued that the University of Michigan illegally relied upon race in its admissions process. As evidence, the students...
Judge: UC system cannot use test-optional admissions policy
In May, the University of California Board of Regents voted to drop the SAT/ACT testing requirement for admissions. That policy goes into effect in 2023. However, in the meantime, the regents gave campuses the option of considering SAT and ACT tests as they...