Standard Post with Image

California Legislature Removes Two School District Surplus Land Act Exemptions

As part of Assembly Bill (AB) 130, a sweeping budget trailer bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on June 30, 2025, two exemptions were removed from the Surplus Land Act that school districts had frequently relied on when disposing of their property.

Read More
Standard Post with Image

Mahmoud v. Taylor: Supreme Court Affirms Parental Opt-Out Rights in Curriculum Dispute

The Supreme Court has held that the parents of elementary school students challenging a school board’s introduction of LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks, along with the board’s decision not to provide notice or allow opt outs, are entitled to a preliminary injunction.

Read More
Standard Post with Image

Safer Rides Ahead? SB 88 Imposes Stricter Standards on all School-Related Student Transportation Starting July 1, 2025

On October 7, 2023, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 88, which takes effect on July 1, 2025, and sets minimum health, safety, and oversight standards for drivers employed or contracted by school districts who transport students for any school-related transportation.

Read More
Standard Post with Image

No Special Hurdles U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Higher Burden for Students in Disability Discrimination Claims

On June 12, 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in A.J.T. by and through A.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, Independent School District No. 279 (U.S., June 12, 2025, No. 24-249) 605 U.S. __, holding that students bringing disability discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 cannot be held to a higher legal standar

Read More
Standard Post with Image

U.S Supreme Court Clarifies Majority-Group Plaintiffs Are Not Held to a Higher Evidentiary Standard in Title VII Employment Discrimination Cases

On June 5, 2025, in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services (2025) 145 S.Ct. 1540, the United States Supreme Court unanimously vacated the Sixth Circuit’s decision to dismiss the plaintiff’s reverse discrimination lawsuit, rejecting the lower court’s reasoning that the plaintiff failed to establish “background circumstances” to support the plausibility of r

Read More
Standard Post with Image

District Court Mandates Parental Option to Opt Out of Gender Identity Activities in Buddy Program

In a decision signed on May 12, 2025, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California prohibited the Encinitas Union School District (District) from covering gender identity topics in health instruction in its elementary school buddy program, unless it provides parents with advance notice and an opportunity to opt out.

Read More
Standard Post with Image

Ninth Circuit Establishes Preliminary Framework for First Amendment Familial Antiretaliation Claims

In DeFrancesco v. Robbins (9th Cir. 2025) 136 F.4th 933, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that university officials were entitled to qualified immunity in an action brought by a former employee alleging violation of his First Amendment right to be free from retaliation for his husband’s allegedly protected whistleblowing speech.

Read More
Standard Post with Image

Citing Existing Compliance, CDE Declines to Re-Certify Title VI Compliance on Behalf of California Schools

On April 3, 2025, the United States Department of Education (DOE) sent letters (Request for Certification) to State Commissioners overseeing K-12 state education agencies requesting they certify compliance with Title VI and SFFA v. Harvard (SFFA v. Harvard) (2023) 600 U.S. 181, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Read More
Standard Post with Image

A Supreme Split on Religion-Based Charter Schools

On May 22, 2025, in a 4-4 split decision, the United States Supreme Court upheld an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision denying approval of a religion-based charter school on the grounds that approval of the charter would violate the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution.

Read More