Education Law

Supreme Court to hear case of deaf Texans seeking interpreter in state-licensed driver’s ed classes

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide a case brought by would-be drivers seeking a sign-language interpreter for driver-education classes. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to decide whether a Texas agency had to ensure the classes accommodated the disability. A private company licensed by the state provided…

Jun 29, 2016 11:10 AM CDT

SCOTUS to hear case involving service dog named Wonder

The U.S. Supreme Court has accepted a case involving a Michigan girl with cerebral palsy whose family clashed with her school over her service dog, a goldendoodle named Wonder. The Supreme Court granted cert on Tuesday in the suit filed by the family of the girl identified as “E.F.” The…

Jun 29, 2016 10:30 AM CDT

ABA threatened with 1-year suspension of law school accreditation powers

A Department of Education panel on Wednesday recommended that the ABA’s accreditation power for new law schools be suspended for one year, on the basis that the organization failed to implement its student achievement standards and probationary sanctions, while also not meeting its audit process and analysis responsibilities regarding students’…

Jun 24, 2016 2:00 PM CDT

Supreme Court upholds affirmative action program at University of Texas

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a race-conscious admissions program at the University of Texas at Austin, while warning of the need for further evaluation as the school collects more data on its effects. The court ruled for the university on Thursday in a 4-3 decision (PDF) finding no equal…

Jun 23, 2016 9:27 AM CDT

Law grad sues Department of Education over its guidance on campus sexual-misconduct investigations

A University of Virginia Law School graduate, whose degree and job with a Washington, D.C., law firm were delayed because of a sexual-misconduct investigation of him by the university, has sued the U.S. Department of Education, claiming it improperly changed the standard of proof in such matters, the Washington Post…

Jun 17, 2016 2:05 PM CDT

Judge upholds school suspension of boy who chewed pastry into gun shape

A Maryland judge has upheld a two-day school suspension for a boy, then 7 years old, who chewed his breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun and pretended to shoot it. Judge Ronald Silkworth of Anne Arundel County Circuit Court said the suspension was appropriate because the incident was…

Jun 17, 2016 7:23 AM CDT

Did government reverse position on qualifications for Public Service Loan Forgiveness program?

It appears that the federal government is rethinking which nonprofit employees qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and it may now be that the criteria has more stringent requirements. Part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, the PSLF program automatically includes 501(c)(3) employers. Other…

Jun 16, 2016 2:26 PM CDT

Clients drop firm after lawyer uses Twitter to celebrate ‘win’ against parents of disabled children

A British law firm suffered a sudden loss of business over the last few days, after a series of tweets by a founding partner who serves as its managing director ignited a firestorm. Mark Small of Baker Small heads a law firm known for its leading niche representation of local…

Jun 15, 2016 10:55 AM CDT

Banning religious schools from voucher program is not discrimination, federal judge rules

Religious schools should not be included in a Colorado voucher program, a federal judge ruled Thursday, although she admitted that the area of law was “extremely unsettled.” According to the Denver Post, out of 23 schools in the original Douglas County School District voucher program unveiled in 2011, 17 had…

Jun 10, 2016 3:20 PM CDT

Lawyer acquitted in claimed cover-up of school board member’s free-lunch application

The first of two lawyers to go to trial in a criminal corruption case over a claimed cover-up of a New Jersey school board member’s free-lunch application won a resounding victory on Tuesday. Following a five-week trial, it took the jury less than an hour of deliberation to decide to…

Jun 8, 2016 10:20 AM CDT

Trump says his criticism of federal judge was misconstrued

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is clarifying his criticism of a federal judge overseeing a Trump University lawsuit. Trump says his remarks about U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel “have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage,” report Law.com and the Washington Post. Trump previously labeled…

Jun 8, 2016 9:58 AM CDT

Employees of some nonprofits get notified they don’t qualify for student loan forgiveness program

Some nonprofit employees counting on the federal government’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program recently received word that they don’t qualify, for reasons that remain unclear. The change might be related to an employer’s tax status. Part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, the PSLF program includes…

Jun 2, 2016 10:12 AM CDT

Kansas Supreme Court gives lawmakers until June 30 to fix school funding inequities

The latest Kansas law aimed at fixing school funding inequities violates the state constitution, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled on Friday. The court gave lawmakers a June 30 deadline to increase funding for poor districts, report the New York Times and the Kansas City Star. How Appealing links to the…

May 31, 2016 12:05 PM CDT

Baylor demotes Ken Starr, will fire football coach over school’s handling of sex-assault allegations

After initially denying rumors that Ken Starr was on the way out as president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, officials announced Thursday that he is being demoted, and the school’s football coach is being fired. The actions follow a report by Pepper Hamilton, concerning an internal investigation of the…

May 26, 2016 2:17 PM CDT

Law prof sees Title IX ‘collision course’ in federal directives on bathrooms and sexual violence

The Justice Department is citing Title IX to support its directive that public schools must allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. Some schools could respond by opening bathrooms to both genders. But that raises a new question, Harvard law professor Jeannie Suk…

May 26, 2016 7:39 AM CDT