Connecticut Education Law Blog

Recent Posts from Connecticut Education Law Blog

• School Reform Contract Agreed To In New Haven

  In a deal that some National Education Leaders are heralding as a model for school reform throughout the nation, the New Haven Public Schools and the New Haven Federation of Teachers have struck a deal…

• Second Circuit Decision: Failure to Name Specific School Not a Procedural Violation for IEP

  In a new decision issued October 9, 2009, T.Y. v. New York City Dept. of Education, 109 LRP 63646 (2d Cir. 2009), the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that it is not a procedural violation of…

• "Surprising New Legislation Delays the Implementation Date for Connecticut's In School Suspension Law to July 1, 2010"

  On October 5, 2009, Governor Rell signed Senate Bill 2053, An Act Implementing the Provisions of the Budget Concerning Education, Authorizing State Grant Commitments for School Building Projects, and Making Changes to the Statutes Concerning…

• Arbitration Panel Awards No Increase for Non-Certified Employees

  Demonstrating that at least some arbitrators understand the constraints on municipal employers caused by the recession, a panel of arbitrators chaired by Arbitrator Susan Meredith has declined to award a non-certified bargaining unit in the…

• Connecticut School Districts Must Implement New Suspension Law for the 2009-2010 School Year

  As readers may recall, PA 07-66 created new standards for student suspensions in Connecticut requiring that student suspensions pursuant to 10-233c be in-school suspensions, unless the administration determines that the pupil being suspended poses such…

• U.S. Department of Justice Has Released Guidance On Bullying In Schools: Bullying As the Most Underreported Safety Problem and Greatest Problem Affecting Student's Sense of Security

  The Department of Justice has just released guidance to help schools examine and respond to the issue of school bullying. In light of Connecticut’s strong anti-bullying laws and its new requirements that schools implement proactive…

• 2009 Legislative Session Closes with Seventeen Education Related Bills Passed; New Legislation Requires Boards to Take on More Responsibilities for Student Health, Safety and Environmental Related Issues in Schools

  The 2009 Connecticut General Assembly has adjourned leaving in its wake seventeen new legislative acts pertaining to education. The 2009 legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor focuses largely on health,…

• Strip Search by School Officials Was Unconstitutional

  Last week, the Supreme Court decided Safford Unified School District #1 et. al. v. Redding, the “strip-search” case. The Supreme Court followed the precedent it created in New Jersey v. T.L.O., which set forth the reasonable…

• Much Ado About Nothing

  The Supreme Court ruling in the Forest Grove School District v. T.A. case was released this week.  Maybe it's just me, but I don't see this ruling as changing much of anything in the world…

• Free Cyberbullying Curriculum Available from NSBA

  A free curriculum is available from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to address cyberbullying issues at NSBA.  NSBA partnered with a group called CyberSmart to produce this curriculum (reported to be "research-based" for those concerned…