As many of you are aware, significant winter weather is taking place across parts of Texas this weekend and into early next week. Along with this winter storm comes concerns regarding whether scheduled board meetings may be postponed and later convened due to hazardous conditions without violating the Texas Open Meetings Act. Under Texas Government […]
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HB 1522, passed this summer, requires that meetings taking place after September 1, 2025, conform with new posting timelines. Previously, school board meetings had to be posted within 72 hours from the time of the meeting. The new law requires that “The notice of a meeting of a governmental body must be posted in a […]
Read moreOn January 21, 2025, Acting Department of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman issued a directive rescinding the Biden Administration’s guidelines that designated schools and other community services as “sensitive areas”. Those guidelines had stated that to the extent possible, ICE agents should not carry out immigration enforcement activities in these locations. It is now unclear whether […]
Read moreA judge recently issued an important ruling in a citizen’s 2021 lawsuit against a Texas school district regarding board policies and operating procedures addressing the parameters of public comment during school board meetings. In August 2021, a citizen addressed a district’s board of trustees during the public comment portion of the open meeting. While offering […]
Read moreSenate Bill 797, enacted in August of 2022, requires public elementary and secondary schools to display in a conspicuous place in each building of the school or institution a durable poster or framed copy of the United States national motto, “In God We Trust.” The signs must be donated or purchased with private funds and […]
Read moreBy 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 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 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 […]
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 and Special Populations Updates for the Week of April 20, 2020 Dean Micknal, Partner The Texas Education Agency reorganized its COVID-19 Support: Special Education webpage last week. The revised site, which […]
Read moreWe know that two new Family Medical Leave Act laws related to the COVID-19 pandemic went into effect on April 1, 2020, as follows: Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) which extends Family and Medical Leave; and Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) which provides for emergency paid sick leave for absences. These […]
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