EdLawConnect Blog

Almost all school districts have been faced with the problem of workplace bullying, but until recently workplace bullying has received little attention compared to bullying prevention efforts for minors and students.  Just as national attention on student and minor cyberbullying prompted legislation by many states, now workplace bullying is also receiving attention and has now received legislative action.  Spurred by studies regarding the damaging effects of workplace bullying on employees, including reduced productivity, morale, higher absenteeism rates, and frequent employee turnover, California Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez proposed AB 2053, with the goal of addressing the issue of workplace bullying.  Governor Brown signed the legislation yesterday, September 9, 2014.

Once again, the California Legislature is considering making changes to the current teacher evaluation process set forth in the Stull Act (Education Code Section 44660 et seq.). One item of particular interest that is common to several of the pending legislative proposals is the use of pupil progress data as a significant part of the evaluation of teacher performance.

Senate Bill 453 (Huff) proposes, among ...

With studies showing that concussion injuries put athletes at immediate risk for traumatic brain injuries and increased long-term cumulative risks for early onset dementia, clinical depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease, school districts are looking to protect their student-athletes from physical harm and themselves from exposure to legal liability for that harm.  Recent ...

In the wake of the sexual abuse scandal that rocked Los Angeles Unified School District in February of 2012, legislators introduced several bills to streamline the dismissal and suspension procedures for certificated public school employees, particularly for incidents involving sexual misconduct. The allegations of sexual assaults against elementary students at Miramonte Elementary School in South ...

In the wake of the sexual abuse scandal that rocked Los Angeles Unified School District in February of 2012, legislators introduced several bills to streamline the dismissal and suspension procedures for certificated public school employees, particularly for incidents involving sexual misconduct. The allegations of sexual assaults against elementary students at Miramonte Elementary School in South Los Angeles sparked public outcry over the certificated employee dismissal process when one of the alleged molesters, a third grade teacher, settled the teacher dismissal proceeding against him for $40,000. The settlement highlighted the difficulties school districts face in conducting dismissal proceedings, even in cases involving egregious allegations.