The Legal Ledger

In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled today that the State of Illinois’ extraction of agency fees from non-consenting public-sector employees violates the First Amendment.

The June issue of Journal, OSBA’s award-winning magazine, features an entire section on hot topics for school districts. The articles, written by six members of the Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys (OCSBA), discuss five topics of critical interest to Ohio school board members and administrators.

In May, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administrative law judge (ALJ) struck down an employer policy that banned moonlighting (i.e. holding a second job) on personal time.

OSBA’s Division of Legal Services always is looking for ways to provide our members with new and useful resources. We’ve been hard at work during the first half of 2018 updating existing resources, creating new ones and planning workshops to provide members with the latest and greatest school law-related information.

Earlier this month, two federal courts issued decisions in cases involving the rights of transgender students. These decisions should help school districts understand their legal obligations as they apply to all students. 

Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board 

Memorial Day is the official day on which the United States (U.S.) honors and remembers those who have died in active military service. As we prepare to gather with family and friends, it’s also a good time to review supports available to military families and their children in Ohio’s schools. 

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced today it is launching a new “technical assistance initiative” to assist schools, districts, state education agencies, libraries, colleges and universities in making their websites and online programs accessible to individuals with disabilities.

In early April, the division of legal services posted about OSBA’s participation in the Ohio Attorney General-led opioid epidemic meeting

In the current discussions involving school shooting incidents and arming staff members, one interesting question that inevitably arises concerns collective bargaining issues that may come into play as well. Obviously, permitting staff to possess firearms, as well as expecting them to use them if the situation dictates can be construed as a term or condition of employment.

Earlier this week, the U. S. Department of Education’s (USDOE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released the most recent biennial Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). The data included in the 2015-16 CRDC was self-reported by more than 17,300 public school districts and almost 96,400 public schools and educational programs.

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