by Holly James Late last week, it was announced that USC has agreed to pay $852 million to settle claims made by 710 women alleging sexual assault and sexual harassment by a former USC physician. This is in addition to a $200 million settlement USC previously agreed to pay in a federal class action arising […]
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 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 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 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 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 […]
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