Education law Newsletters

2018 INCREASE IN SCHOOL DISTRICT BID LIMITS On December 23, 2017, Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry announced an increase for 2018 to the base amounts used by public school districts to determine whether competitive bidding and/or multiple price quotes...

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules School Employees’ Home Addresses Off-Limits under the Right-to-Know Law We are finally at the “end of the road” regarding litigation that commenced back in 2009 concerning whether public school employees’ home addresses must be...

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Bans Tax Assessment Appeals Targeting Commercial Properties, but Provides Roadmap on How School Districts May Lawfully Initiate Appeals On July 5, 2017, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania struck down as unconstitutional a practice by Upper...

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules School Employees’ Home Addresses Off-Limits under the Right-to-Know LawWe are finally at the “end of the road” regarding litigation that commenced back in 2009 concerning whether public school employees’ home addresses must be produced...

Recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision Applies to Freedom of Speech by Public School Employees On April 26, 2016, in Hefferman v. City of Paterson, the United States Supreme Court reversed a decision by the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (the federal appeals court...

Commonwealth Court continues temporary stay of its February 17 Order on school employee home addresses The saga continues! Here is a very brief summary: 1.    On February 17, 2015, the Commonwealth Court entered an Order vacating its prior injunction initially issued...

IMPORTANT UPDATE! Commonwealth Court Stays Own Ruling on Employee Home Addresses KKAL previously issued an Education Law Watch on the Commonwealth Court’s decision of February 17, 2015. The decision held that in response to a Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) request for...

RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAW REQUESTS FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEE ADDRESSES Pennsylvania State Education Association ex rel. Wilson v. Commonwealth, PA. Cmwlth., No. 396 M.D. 2009, decided Feb. 17, 2015 In a decision issued February 17, 2015, the Commonwealth Court decided a Right-to-...

CHILD ABUSE LEGISLATION: A Piece of the Puzzle Relating to Volunteers During 2013 and 2014, the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted 21 different acts relating to child abuse. The provisions relating to volunteers are among the more challenging parts of the new...

INCREASE IN SCHOOL DISTRICT BID LIMITS On December 13, 2014, Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry announced a 1.7% increase to the base amounts used by public school districts to determine whether competitive bidding and/or multiple price quotes are...

ACT 164 OF 2014:  New Requirements for Elected or Appointed Municipal Tax Collectors On October 22, 2014, Governor Corbett signed House Bill 1590, which made significant amendments to Pennsylvania law applicable to tax collectors elected or appointed to the position...

CHILD ABUSE LEGISLATION: A Crossword Puzzle of 16 New Legislative Acts Acting on recommendations from a 2012 report of the Task Force on Child Protection, the General Assembly has in piecemeal fashion adopted multiple pieces of child abuse legislation. In fact, 16...

COMMONWEALTH COURT CONFIRMS SCHOOL DISTRICTS NOT REQUIRED TO RELEASE RECORDS CONTAINING DISTRICT EMPLOYEE HOME ADDRESSES There has been much argument in recent years concerning whether school districts are permitted or required to release the home addresses of...

New Law Authorizes Audio Surveillance On School Buses and School Vehicles On February 4, 2014, the Governor signed Act 9 of 2014, which authorizes school districts to use audio surveillance equipment to monitor school buses and school vehicles without running afoul of...

On December 14, 2013, Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry announced a 1.2% increase to the base amounts used by public school districts to determine whether competitive bidding and/or multiple price quotes are required under Sections 751 and 807.1 of the...

PRIVATE FACT-FINDING SESSIONS PERMITTED UNDER SUNSHINE ACT: Supreme Court Ruling in Smith v. Township of Richmond On December 16, 2013, in Smith v. Township of Richmond, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court confirmed that prior to decision making, school board directors and...

CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS: New Requirement for Contractors to Use E-Verification Program The Pennsylvania Public Works Employment Verification Act was adopted in 2012, with an effective date of January 1, 2013.  The Pennsylvania Department of General Services on December...

The tragedy of a 12 year old New Jersey student severely injured from bullying and recent $4.2 million settlement payment by the school district highlight the need for continuous review and vigorous enforcement of school district policy relating to bullying. The safe...

Pennsylvania Governor Corbett has signed into law HB 1610, which is now Act 59 and effective July 29, 2012.  This law prescribes rules applicable to schools and  designed to protect student athletes from cardiac arrest.    The law directs the Pennsylvania Department...

Thanks to a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the test to qualify for a property tax exemption as a nonprofit organization has been clarified—in a manner that is favorable to school districts and that will help narrow the group of organizations...

Supreme Court Strikes Cyber Kindergarten Funding for 4 Year-Old Students On November 23, 2011, in Slippery Rock Area School District v. Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held a school district that offers kindergarten to its residents...

SAFETY AND YOUTH SPORTS ACT: Rules Applicable to Student Athlete Head Injuries Pennsylvania Governor Corbett has signed into law SB 200, which is now Act 101 and effective July 1, 2012.  This law prescribes rules applicable to schools and  designed to protect student...

At the end of the June legislative session, the General Assembly adopted Acts 24 and 25 implementing multiple law changes.  Act 25 amended the Act 1 exception rules and the separate rules on mandatory real estate tax installment payment options.  Act 24 was an omnibus...

Table of Contents

• FURLOUGHS RESULTING FROM BUDGET PRESSURES: What are the rules?
• NEW TAX RESOLUTIONS AND TRANSITION PLAN REQUIRED IN 2011: Act 32 EIT transition steps
• PENSION REFORM: New rules apply July 1
• JOINT PURCHASING GROUPS: Many benefits/potential pitfalls
• RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAW: Recurring issue strategies

Our PDF archive for our the Education Law Watch newsletter, 2006 - 2009. Education Law Watch - January 2009 Act 32 Mandates New Government Entity to Implement County-Wide EIT Collection/School and Municipal Cooperation Income Tax Law Changes New Government Entity: ...