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Leander A. Dolphin

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Leander A. Dolphin is Co-Managing Partner of the firm.

Leander represents public school districts, independent schools, and colleges and universities in education and employment matters, including student discipline, special education disputes, disability-related matters, employee discipline and discharge, and investigations. In addition, she represents clients in claims before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Office of Civil Rights. Leander has conducted numerous professional development workshops for private and public sector clients on topics such as sexual harassment, bullying, special education, disability discrimination, and confidentiality issues.

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College CampusEarlier this month, Massachusetts’ highest court ruled favorably for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”) and three school officials in a wrongful death lawsuit closely watched…
Continue Reading Massachusetts’ Supreme Court Finds Colleges May Face Liability for Student Suicide Under Certain Circumstances

The requirements of the European Union (“EU”) General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) come into effect on May 25, 2018.   These regulations promise to usher in sweeping changes to the way institutions, companies, and other organizations collect and handle the personal data of EU residents.

The GDPR is a holistic set of data privacy requirements that address the entire life cycle of collection, use, and disclosure of the “personal data” of EU residents. While we anticipate jurisdictional challenges that may someday limit the GDPR’s reach outside of the EU, the law as currently drafted purports to affect institutions of higher education, companies, and other organizations, such as boarding schools, worldwide. This means that the GDPR will affect not only institutions that do business with or operate inside of the EU, but will also affect institutions in the United States that processes the personal data of persons residing in the EU.[1]Continue Reading Is Your Institution Ready for GDPR?

Consider the fact that we now live in a digital age, with limitless information at our fingertips, accessible (to many of us) with a few…
Continue Reading Equal Access in the Digital Age: OCR Ramps Up Investigations into Website Accessibility

College CampusOn Thursday, in a speech by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy Devos, the Department announced that it would undertake a review of its current…
Continue Reading U.S. Department of Education Announces Intention to Review and Replace Title IX Regulations Concerning Sexual Harassment and Violence

This workshop will provide board of education members with best practices and guidance regarding effective board operation with respect to internal governance, administration, school staff,…
Continue Reading Register Now for Board Meets World: A Board Member’s Guide to Working With Stakeholders

Institutions of higher education frequently offer students access to on-campus medical services resulting in institutionally maintained student medical records.  These services have grown over the last several years and, in light of this growth, the Family Policy Compliance Office (“FPCO”) of the United States Department of Education recently reemphasized student privacy interests in connection with the maintenance and disclosure of student medical records.  Through a September 14, 2016 Dear Colleague Letter (“DCL”), FPCO issued significant guidance discussing the application of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) to the disclosure of student medical records by institutions of higher education.  Specifically, the DCL addresses the disclosure of student medical records for litigation and health and safety purposes, and includes best practices for colleges and universities to follow, including issuing a notice of privacy rights to students.Continue Reading Family Policy Compliance Office Issues FERPA Privacy Guidelines