Priority Briefings

While many court appearances and deadlines have been postponed or delayed as a result of the Coronavirus, many government-imposed deadlines applicable to school districts and joint agreements remain in effect, including the deadline for filing statements of economic interest. As of right now, this deadline has not been changed, and statements of economic interest must […]

• Posted on: Mar 20 2020
• By: admin

President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on March 18, 2020. The Act includes paid emergency sick leave and FMLA leave in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act applies to all public sector employers, including school districts and joint agreements, and any private employer with 500 or fewer employees; however, […]

• Posted on: Mar 20 2020
• By: admin

The Illinois State Board of Education has issued guidance on complying with special education mandates during school closure due to the coronavirus. Below is a summary of the March 17, 2020 Guidance. Special education timelines remain in place, but days the school is closed do not count as “school days.” ISBE indicates that “Act of […]

• Posted on: Mar 18 2020
• By: admin

The Illinois State Board of Education made a few significant revisions to its proposed regulations regarding isolated time-out, time-out and physical restraint (the “Proposed Rules”),  in response to 310 letters of public comments. The Proposed Rules are not yet effective, but will be submitted for a Second Hearing and publication in the Illinois Register after […]

• Posted on: Feb 17 2020
• By: admin

In December 2019, the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Education issued joint guidance on the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act(FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996(HIPAA) to student health records.  The newly issued guidance updates the departments’ most […]

• Posted on: Jan 9 2020
• By:

The Illinois State Board of Education has issued Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions on the Emergency Regulations for the Use of Time out and Physical Restraint, dated December, 2019, responding to questions about the Emergency Rules (effective November 20, 2019 and amended with regard to prone and supine restraint on December 4, 2019). Some highlights […]

• Posted on: Jan 8 2020
• By:

On December 20, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1784 into law – creating Public Act 101-0620. Among other effects, the Public Act amends the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act and Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act to include provisions impacting union members’ dues deduction authorizations. The Act, which took effect immediately, is the Illinois legislature’s […]

• Posted on: Jan 7 2020
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On December 6, 2019, the Governor signed into law Public Act 101-0598 (SB 460) which modifies the new requirement in Public Act 101-0515 that schools provide all written materials that will be discussed by the IEP team at Eligibility and IEP meetings to parents three school days before the meeting.  This provision delays the three […]

• Posted on: Dec 9 2019
• By:

Reacting to concerns about the ability to maintain student safety without the ability to use prone restraint, the Illinois State Board of Education has issued an amendment to the emergency regulations to provide for the emergency use of prone restraint. According to the Emergency Amendment, prone restraint may be used if all of the following […]

• Posted on: Dec 4 2019
• By:

Effective November 20, 2019, the Illinois State Board of Education issued emergency regulations, 23 IAC 1.285, regarding requirements for the use of time out and physical restraint. ISBE also issued a Physical Restraint and Time Out Form to be completed after each instance of time out or physical restraint and submitted to the parent and […]

• Posted on: Nov 25 2019
• By: