Episodes
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Season Six, Episode Eight: Disciplining Students with Disabilities
In this last episode of Season Six, join Christina, Miriam, and Lisa for an insightful discussion about the guidance issued by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). This episode focuses on legal issues commonly arising when...
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Season Six Episode Seven: Student Discipline Reminders
Every day, school district board members, administrators, and staff make critical judgment calls about student misconduct and subsequent discipline. What are the procedural and substantive due process rights that all students must receive for discipline to be upheld by a court or other reviewing...
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Season 6 Episode 6: Disciplining Public Employees for Social Media Posts
What happens if a public school teacher posts unfavorable comments about her school district on Facebook? What about a professor whose political commentary makes some students uncomfortable? When are these expressions protected by the First Amendment's free speech clause and when do they cross…
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Season Six Episode Five: Prayer in Public Schools
This summer, the United States Supreme Court decided the Kennedy v. Bremerton case, which addressed a high school coach's First Amendment rights in praying after football games. Join Christina, Lisa, and Miriam for an in-depth analysis of this controversial decision and a look at possible...
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Season Six Episode Four: Your Top FERPA Questions
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act seems pretty straightforward: Maintain confidentiality and produce records to parents or adult students. But what happens when a record, like a video, includes information about more than just one student? What is the procedure when the requesting party...
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Season Six Episode Three: Homelessness in Our Schools
As most school administrators know, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires districts to immediately enroll students who are experiencing homelessness to ensure educational continuity and minimize disruption to learning. But what happens when a district is not sure whether a student...
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Season Six Episode Two: Back to the Basics Part Two
In the second episode of a two-part series on special education basics, Christina, Lisa, and Miriam discuss individualized education programs, free appropriate public education, and least restrictive environment. This episode is especially appropriate for new Board members and administrators, as...
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Season Six Episode One: Back to the Basics of Special Education Law
Welcome to the sixth season of Class Act! Today's episode presents a general overview of special education law, including a bit of historical background and a discussion about evaluations, eligibility, and Child Find. This episode is especially appropriate for new Board members and…
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Season Five Episode 12: Circling Back to Title IX
As school districts begin to implement the revised 2020 Title IX regulations for complaints of sexual harassment or violence, many administrators are facing numerous practical challenges. For example, how does the Title IX process integrate with state laws relating to suspensions and expulsions?...
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Season Five Episode 11: Mask Mandates in Our Schools
Even as the New Year begins, school districts are still dealing with challenging pandemic issues. This episode takes a look at one of the most controversial pandemic outcomes : mask mandates in schools. Whether your board is mandating masks on school grounds or allowing parents and employees to...
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Season Five Episode 10: Don't Let Your School Board Meeting Turn Into A Three-Ring Circus
Combative, hostile, and sometimes even violent school board meetings are all over the news these days. School board members increasingly face displeased parents and other community members who want to share their views and opinions on controversial and difficult topics. Although a respectful...
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Season Five Episode 9: Arming Ohio's School Teachers
Lisa and Miriam discuss the recent Ohio Supreme Court ruling in Gabbard v. Madison, which is a case about whether Ohio school employees may carry weapons without full law enforcement training. The idea of teachers carrying weapons in school may seem either completely reasonable or totally...
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Season 5 Episode 8: The Professor's Preferred Pronouns
On the heels of our previous discussion about transgender students' rights in schools, this episode is about the rights of teachers and professors who have strong religious objections to using students' preferred pronouns. Professor Meriwether was fired after he declined to use a student's...
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Season 5 Episode 7: Transgender Students and the Office for Civil Rights
The rights of transgender students is a controversial topic that more and more school districts are facing these days. From name changes to restroom usage and privacy concerns, school administrators are often asked to decide questions that may be novel and challenging for them. Join Lisa,...
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Season 5 Episode 6: Cussing Cheerleaders and the First Amendment
When Brandi Levy shared a profanity-laced snap after failing to make the varsity cheer team, she probably wasn't envisioning the start of a dispute that would ultimately be decided by the United States Supreme Court. But after the school district suspended Brandi from cheer, her parents filed a...
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Season 5 Episode 5: Dealing with “Drama Mamas” (and “Drama Papas”) - When Parents Misbehave
Like staff and students, parents can have bad days too. But sometimes their conduct crosses a line, leading school administrators to wonder if they can ban hostile or aggressive parents from school grounds altogether. What should school districts consider before taking such a drastic step? What...
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Season 5 Episode 4: Kindergarten Bullies at the Ohio Supreme Court
In this episode, Megan, Lisa, and Miriam discuss AJR v. Lute, a fascinating kindergarten bullying case recently decided by the Ohio Supreme Court. What happened here? How did these five year olds end up in litigation before the highest court in the state? How did the lower courts hold, what did…
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Season 5 Episode 3: Students and the First Amendment
Back in January, we started our discussion of the First Amendment by considering school staff and limits on their speech in a school setting. Today we continue this conversation by looking at students' Free Speech rights and under what circumstances boards of education can discipline students for...
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Season 5 Episode 2: The Coronavirus Vaccine and Your School Staff
The coronavirus vaccine is here and some states, like Ohio, are prioritizing school staff in their immunization schedules. Some school districts may even be considering mandatory vaccines for their employees. Is this legally advisable? What about employees who cite religious or health-related...
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Season 5 Episode 1: School Staff and the First Amendment
Welcome to our Fifth Season! In light of recent socio-political events, you may be wondering about your school staff's free speech rights. What does the First Amendment cover? What kind of speech is actually protected by the Constitution? When should school boards be cautious about disciplining a...
About this show
This podcast explores legal developments relevant to school districts, board of education members, administrators, teachers, and parents.
Hosted by
Walter Haverfield LLP: Miriam and Lisa
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