In Letter to Kelly Unnerstall, the Office of Special Education Programs (“OSEP”) followed-up its October 23, 2015, Dear Colleague Letter (“DCL”) and provided more guidance regarding the use and diagnosis…
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HLERK continues to follow the legal developments relating to transgender students. On July 8, 2016, the State of Nebraska along with several other states, filed a federal complaint requesting relief…
For the second time in less than a year, HLERK’s Michelle Todd and Stephanie Jones obtained dismissal of plaintiff’s bullying claims in Kuhner v. Highland Community United School District No….
Issues regarding transgender students continue to dominate public debate as well as creating multiple lawsuits. Below we review the variety of ongoing transgender student issues. Dear Colleague Letter As we…
In a case receiving nationwide attention, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in favor of a transgender student requesting use of the restroom of his identified gender. In…
In Letter to Andel, 116 LRP 8548, the Office of Special Education Programs (“OSEP”) was asked to address what a school district’s options are when a parent brings an attorney…
On December 10, 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (“ESSA”) was signed by the President. The ESSA is the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of…
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois recently dismissed a case against a school district, in which a student and her parents alleged that the school district…
In August, Governor Rauner signed into law the Youth Sports Concussion Safety Act (Public Act 99-0245). The Act includes new requirements for concussion safety for public school districts, charter schools,…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (“DPH”) has adopted rules implementing an immunization data registry by establishing procedures for data collection and use of the registry. In July 2011, the…