Norwalk Education Law Blog
Title IX Changes Ace First Test
It was a big month for the United State Department of Education. Early in August federal courts cleared the way for the DOE's proposed reform of Title IX. The new regulations took effect on August 15. Action was overdue. Since Title IX’s passage in 1972 the...
Graham v. Friedlander and the Plight of Trial Judges
In February, in Graham v. Friedlander, 334 Conn. 564 (2020), Connecticut's Supreme Court considered the state’s power over poor teaching. In the same opinion it weighed judges’ authority to throw out parents’ claims. It found both surprisingly limited. The plaintiffs...
A New Right to Literacy?
For fifty years different parents have tried to get a court to say their children had a right to a better school. This month one group finally succeeded. A federal court ordered their schools to make their kids literate. The winning parents came from Detroit. The...
“Sex” and the Transgender Student
The long and winding road of Grimm v. Gloucester County Board of Education may yet lead back the Supreme Court. For the moment this case on the rights of one transgender student has stopped in Richmond, Virginia, at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit....
Sexual Harassment in Chicago’s Schools
Last month Chicago Public Schools agreed to change the way it handled complaints of sexual harassment in Chicago’s schools. It was forced into the agreement by the United States Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. OCR enforces compliance with Title IX,...
New Rules On Sexual Harassment In School
Title IX bans sexual discrimination. The U.S. Department of Education enforces it. Last year the Department proposed new rules on sexual harassment in school and college and invited the public to comment. Secretary DeVos has yet to reveal the results. The public will...
Abuse and Title IX
Last week New York passed a new statute of limitations. It helps the victims of sexual abuse. They now have more time to bring a civil suit against their abuser. Under the old law victims had to sue by the time they were twenty-eight. Now they may sue until they are...
District Sued for Lack of Coaching Permit
Last month Attorney Gregory Smith brought suit against the Weston Board of Education. His complaint alleges that a coach without a valid, current coaching permit supervised his clients’ son’s basketball practice. Another player on the Weston High School Boys’...
Board of Education Not a District
Last month a Superior Court decision reminded us that a “board of education” is not the same thing as a “school district.” This can be a crucial distinction in protecting students, teachers and staff. The ruling will end up costing someone more than embarrassment. The...
504 Abused by the Affluent?
The New York Times reported today that wealthier families are much more likely to have their child qualified for a 504 plan. Psychologists cost money, noted the Times, and parents with means can afford to hire them for an evaluation. As a result, students in Weston...