By Heather Castillo Here at Leasor Crass, we are keeping a close eye on the bills being filed for the upcoming Texas legislative session which will either directly affect or have some impact on our clients. Filed on December 30, 2020, Senate Bill 272 really caught our attention. It requires a school district board of […]
Read moreOn October 20, 2020 Attorney General Ken Paxton opined on the ability of school districts to enter into long-term leases with private entities. More specifically, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney asked Attorney General Paxton whether an independent school district may enter into a long-term ground lease with a private entity that intends to develop […]
Read moreAs schools continue to navigate the whitewater rapids of COVID-19, the issue of compensatory services has steadily started gathering more attention both locally and nationwide. While not unexpected given the massive disruption the pandemic has, and continues to, wreak on the provision of special education services, discussions regarding compensatory services are rarely welcomed. This can […]
Read moreby Holly James Many of you have received letters within the past few days from the ACLU concerning your district’s dress code. The ACLU’s basic position in these letters is that any gender-based distinctions in a student dress code violate the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and Title IX, and that a Texas […]
Read moreMany of you have received emails or other communications from the Plaintiff in the recently filed case pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. As you are aware, the Plaintiff has sued virtually every school district in the United States asserting that the districts have violated the IDEA by […]
Read moreBelow are today’s updates regarding COVID-19 and its impact on Texas public schools. For additional resources, please visit our COVID-19 page. Attorney General Claims Local Orders Closing Schools Are Invalid. Tarrant County Abandoning Order? Holly James, Senior Associate Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion today regarding the legality of local public health orders that […]
Read moreIn these ever-changing times during the pandemic, some districts are discussing staggering students’ arrival and departure times during the 2020-21 school year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If your district is considering this option, you should be mindful of how this may affect students with disabilities. The law is clear that a district cannot […]
Read moreby Holly James Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion today regarding the legality of local public health orders that delay the start of in-person schooling, such as those entered in Dallas, Harris, Travis, and presumably Tarrant Counties. The Attorney General opined that “nothing in the law gives health authorities the power to indiscriminately close […]
Read moreUpdates to the Texas Education Agency’s Special Education and Special Population sections of the COVID-19 Support webpage last week were limited to the release of a single, if thorough, Guidance and FAQ regarding Continuity of Learning for Secondary Transition. The nine-page document walks through the following topics: Transition Services During COVID-19; Guiding Questions for Secondary […]
Read moreThe Texas Education Agency updated its COVID-19 Special Education Q&A last week to address questions related to Dyslexia screening and coding. The first question reminded districts that Governor Abbot has waived the required kindergarten dyslexia screening for the 2019-2020 school year. Details regarding the requirements of the waiver are set out in Emergency Commissioner’s Rule […]
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