EdLawConnect Blog

Since voter approval of Proposition 215 in 1996 (enacting the Compassionate Use Act ("CUA")), school districts have encountered issues regarding the discipline of students and employees who possess medical marijuana cards. Due to the tumultuous nature of the law, when asked how to proceed in such situations the responses have varied widely over the years. In light of the California Supreme Court’s decision in Ross v. RagingWire Telecommunications, Inc. (2008) 42 Cal.4th 920, however, it can be stated with greater confidence that the CUA will not insulate employees or students who happen to be qualified medical marijuana patients from discipline under the Education Code.

Sometimes, when the Legislature attempts to impose restrictions on public entities across the board, it results in an “ill fitting” application to school and community college districts.  AB 1344, recently signed into law by Governor Brown, is the most recent example of this phenomenon.  This new law was designed to limit methods of public official enrichment that were utilized by City of Bell administrators, but it is not entirely clear how these limitations will apply both in general and to school administrators specifically.

In Palomar Community College District (2011) PERB Decision No. 2213-E, the Public Employment Relations Board (“Board”) clarified that a side letter of agreement between parties does not automatically expire when the parties reach agreement on a subsequent collective bargaining agreement ("CBA").

The adoption of acceptable use policies to establish the nature and limits of employee and student access to and use of computer systems is by now a common practice. Once such policies are established, however, districts and county offices of education sometimes fail to review them to ensure they are current. In today’s rapidly changing technology environment, these policies can quickly become outdated in the face of new technologies and means of communication, the most recent examples including social networking, micro-blogging, and cloud computing.  It is important that acceptable use policies be kept current to address the impacts of new technologies.