The White House recently announced two initiatives aimed at addressing perceived discrimination in education against students and institutions based on religion. We address the first of those initiatives, relating to prayer in K-12 public schools, in a separate Franczek alert. […]
A large and growing source of property tax refunds in Cook County are generated when a Court reverses or vacates the sale of delinquent taxes. A recent Appellate Court decision provides a good overview of the tax sale process and […]
Is My Public School, Private School, or College or University Subject to the HIPAA Privacy Rule? Revised Federal Guidance Provides Answers
February 17, 2020
School leaders are often understandably confused as to which law applies to health- or medical-related records in schools: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) “Privacy Rule.” Whether […]
Should You OPEN Your Institution’s Doors to OCR: New Civil Rights Office Raises Questions
February 16, 2020
Originally posted on our Title IX Insights Blog The U.S. Department of Education has created a “new, proactive” civil rights compliance center within its Office for Civil Rights. The Department describes the Outreach, Prevention, Education and Non-discrimination, or OPEN, Center as an effort to “support[ ] school […]
CDC, OSHA Issue Guidance on Dealing with Coronavirus in the Workplace
February 13, 2020
Both the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have published interim guidance for employers on planning for and protecting their workplaces from exposure to and infection with COVID-19, more commonly referred […]
A Not So Sweet Deal for Employers Seeking to Protect Trade Secrets Under the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine
February 11, 2020
An Illinois appellate court recently clarified the outer limits of the controversial “inevitable disclosure doctrine” under the Illinois Trade Secrets Act. Archer Daniels Midland Company (“ADM”), a sweetener manufacturer and distributor, moved for a preliminary injunction against its former employee, […]
Coronavirus: What Should Schools, Colleges, and Universities Do Now?
February 10, 2020
The risk of coronavirus may be lower than the flu, but with the numbers of cases and fatalities growing in China and a handful of cases in the United States, some are calling for schools, colleges, and universities to take […]
A recent Illinois State Board of Education hearing officer decision upheld the dismissal of a tenured teacher who engaged in off-topic rants in the classroom, stored pornographic images on a district laptop, and refused to undergo a fitness for duty […]