by Holly James Governor Abbott issued Executive Order GA-23 on May 18, 2020 as part of the continuing effort to reopen previously shuttered services due to COVID-19. As in his prior orders, GA-23 contains the following primary mandate: In accordance with guidance from DSHS Commissioner Dr. Hellerstedt, and to achieve the goals established by the […]
Read moreAfter a busy previous week focused on Extended School Year and Compensatory Services, the Texas Education Agency did not issue any updated guidance to the Special Education section of the COVID-19 Support webpage last week. While there were no updates exclusive to the Special Education section, TEA did issue a comprehensive six-page guidance in response […]
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. TEA Special Education Updates for the Week of May 11, 2020 Dean Micknal, Partner The Texas Education Agency issued updated guidance on two Special Education issues under its General Guidance tab last week. First, […]
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. Title IX: Questions and Answers Regarding the Final Rule Dean Micknal, Partner and Victoria Elliott, Associate On May 6, 2020, the US Department of Education issued an extensive update to the Title IX regulations […]
Read moreOn May 6, 2020, the US Department of Education issued an extensive update to the Title IX regulations (the “Final Rule”). As the new regulations take effect on August 14, 2020, districts do not have much time to digest the information and prepare for implementation. In an effort to assist our districts in learning the […]
Read moreby Holly James Under Executive Order GA-21, issued by Governor Abbott on May 5, 2020, school districts may now allow students to access school buildings as follows: A student (accompanied by an adult if needed) may, as allowed by the school consistent with the minimum standard health protocols found in guidance issued by TEA, visit […]
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. Don’t Forget About FERPA Victoria Elliott, Associate The Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office has sent out information informing districts of the importance of updating FERPA/PPRA policies and notifications, as applicable, during online […]
Read more(NOTE: Executive Order GA-21 was issued May 5, 2020 and expands the list of reopened services discussed below. We have discussed certain provisions of GA-21 related to schools in an updated post available here.) On April 27, 2020, Governor Abbott issued Executive Order GA-18, allowing certain businesses to physically reopen at 25% capacity. Very little […]
Read moreAfter completely redesigning the COVID-19 Support: Special Education webpage last week, the Texas Education Agency had a relatively quiet week of updates. The only update in the General Guidance section appears to consist of a minor correction to the COVID-19 Special Education Q&A regarding the requirement that SHARS informed consent include the name, rather than […]
Read moreOn April 22, 2020, the Attorney General provided additional guidance on the implementation of Texas Government Code §551.007. This section went into effect on September 1, 2019 and the sections addressed in the Opinion state: A governmental body shall allow each member of the public who desires to address the body regarding an item on […]
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