Recently, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed two Public Acts that made significant changes to the statutes addressing sexual harassment in the workplace. These
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Insufficient Investigation Allows Lawsuit to Proceed
In recent years male students who were removed from school following a Title IX investigation have sued, claiming that the school’s investigation was unfair and
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CAS Legal Mailbag Question of the Week – 5/22/2019
Originally appeared in the CAS Weekly Newsletter.
Written by attorney Thomas B. Mooney.
Dear Legal Mailbag:
I am concerned that one of the
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The IRS Enters the 21st Century
The IRS has provided notice that effective May 28, 2019, it will be expanding the methods by which a tax-exempt independent school, college or university
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Webinar: Best Practices for Conducting Workplace Investigations
Join Shipman & Goodwin employment attorneys Zach Hummel and Keegan Drenosky for this complimentary CLE webinar outlining the steps employers should take to conduct legally
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Sixth Circuit: Title VII Prohibits Discrimination Based on Transgender and/or Transitioning Status
Less than one week after the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its own landmark Title VII decision finding that the antidiscrimination statute prohibits discrimination against transgender or transitioning individuals even where an employer’s religious exercise may be substantially burdened.
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Education Legislation Summary: 2017 Special Session – Biennial Budget, Connecticut General Assembly
On October 26, 2017, the General Assembly passed Emergency Certified Bill 1502 (“Bill 1502” or “the Bill”). The Bill was signed by Governor Malloy on October 31, 2017 (except for a line item veto related to hospital charges). This summary is intended to give you a brief overview of some of the more significant changes affecting public elementary and secondary education.
Changes Affecting School Operations
Mandatory Medicaid Provider Enrollment
Effective no later than December 1, 2017, each local and regional board of education must (1) enroll as a provider in the state medical assistance program, (2) participate in the Medicaid School Based Child Health Program administered by DSS (Department of Social Services), and (3) submit billable service information electronically to DSS or its billing agent. The local or regional board of education may enter into an agreement with a third-party vendor or another local/regional board of education to comply with these requirements. See Bill 1502 § 51.
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Title IX Procedures and The Need for Fairness to All Parties
Recent headlines make clear that sexual harassment is a serious problem in our society. It has also been a focus of attention on school campuses. Since the adoption of Title IX, colleges and universities, as well as other educational institutions, have taken steps to address complaints by students that they have been harassed or sexually assaulted; however, there is increasing push back regarding the procedures by which academic institutions adjudicate allegations of sexual misconduct, as well as on the training for those employees responsible for responding to allegations of inappropriate student conduct.
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Statutory Changes to Athletic Trainer Laws: What’s New?
Earlier this summer, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Public Act No. 17-195, An Act Concerning Athletic Trainers (the “Act”), which amended the statute governing the
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High School Sleuths Expose Questionable Credentials of New Principal
Earlier this month in the city of Pittsburg, Kansas, a group of curious student journalists raised serious questions about the credentials of their newly hired principal, Amy Robertson. According to the Kansas City Star, Robertson had received 100 percent support from the district school board, but some of the students at the Pittsburg high school were not equally convinced. The student journalists decided to look into the legitimacy of Robertson’s qualifications. As the students investigated Robertson’s educational credentials, what they discovered was quite suspicious and raised red flags about the new principal’s background.
First, the students learned that her university degree came from Corllins University, which operated as a diploma factory of sorts where enrollees could buy the degree of their choice. Later, the Kansas City Star reached out to the U.S. Department of Education and learned that the federal agency had no evidence of Corllins’ operation or closure. Subsequently, the student journalists learned that Robertson had served as Principal at the American Scientific School in Dubai, a school receiving multiple ratings of “unsatisfactory” by Dubai’s education authority, which ultimately closed down in 2013. Armed with revealing information about Robertson’s education and career, the student journalists wrote a news story in their school paper. Days after the release of that story, Robertson resigned.
What lesson can schools take from these Pittsburg students? When considering applicants, especially for positions that require extensive scholarship and experience, schools must do more than check off credentials. An extra search into an applicant’s background can save a school from an embarrassing situation such as that faced in Pittsburg, Kansas.
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