5 Things You Need to Know Before Contacting an Attorney Understand Your Deadlines & Call as Soon as You Have Them If you only need to respond with your intent to appeal, do so as soon as possible to start the process. For K12 items, this can generally be done via email to your child’s…
ESY (Extended School Year) Services Denied by School?
What do you do when the school district denies your child with a disability extended school year (ESY) services?
Relief Has Been Denied in Most Anti-Masking Lawsuits Against Schools
Mark Weiker, Esq., Albeit Weiker, LLP Over the last two years, Ohio school boards have become a lightning rod for citizens to unload their personal and political thoughts on almost everything pandemic related. From virtual learning to masking to quarantining, school boards have absorbed the diverse and sometimes raucous opinions of their constituents. Outcomes in…
Homework Helper: Reading and Math Tips
The new school year is upon us and kids are going back to in-person learning. That means that your children will have homework to tackle when they get home. Here are some easy ideas to make homework time less stressful for you and your kids. General Tips Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit…
Educators should carefully consider school policies regarding masking.
As you prepare your classrooms with supplies, fun stimuli, and all the accoutrements of a cozy room for fostering learning and creativity, let’s hope you also have time to prepare for the 2021-2022 school year mentally; not just for the continued repetitive phrases of “unprecedented times” and “socially distanced,” but also for the difficult…
Understanding Amended Ohio House Bill 244 – The Vaccine Discrimination Bill
With schools, masks, and vaccinations being at the top of many parent’s minds, the recently passed, soon to take effect Amended House Bill (H.B.) 244 has been the subject of much discussion. Set to take effect on October 13, 2021, the relevant amendment of H.B. 244 prohibits public schools from the following: Requiring any individual…
What is NIL and what does it mean for student athletes?
“NIL” has become THE hot acronym in college sports. It stands for “name, image, and likeness”, and describes rights that have now been recognized in Ohio through Executive Order 2021-10d, signed by Governor DeWine on June 28th of this year. The Order went into effect on July 1st. Simply put, Governor DeWine’s action now allows…
Public schools with “mask optional” policies risk losing immunity.
A. The Choice Boards of education in Ohio have been placed in a tough position to start the school year. Boards have been forced to choose whether to require masks for their students and employees. Schools were placed in this position because the state legislature effectively removed the power of the Governor and the…
Compensatory Education & Recovery Services
Compensatory Education & Recovery Services: COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS FOR STUDENTS ON IEPs & 504 Plans On March 12, 2020, Governor DeWine ordered all of Ohio’s public, community and private K-12 school buildings to be closed due to the ongoing coronavirus health crisis. If a school district closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and did not…
Updates on State Testing for Spring 2021: Ohio School Law
Does my child have to participate in spring testing? We can all agree that 2020 was a year like we have never experienced before. The educational institutions tried their best to accommodate the changing situation and help support students the best that they could. One of those ways was to forgo the traditional state testing…
Top 5: What parents NEED to talk about at the next IEP meeting!
AS THE SCHOOL YEAR MOVES ALONG AND “IEP SEASON” DRAWS NEAR, HERE ARE THE TOP 5 THINGS TO DISCUSS AT YOUR NEXT IEP MEETING (and yes, this blog was written in the wake of the COVID19 shutdown!)
Can I Leave Work to Attend an IEP Meeting?
FMLA LEAVE MAY BE AVAILABLE TO PARENTS TO ATTEND IEP MEETINGS On August 8, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (“the DOL”) issued guidance on whether an employee may take protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) to attend a meeting to discuss the Individualized Education Program (“IEP”) of the employee’s son or daughter. U.S. Dept. of Labor, WHD, FMLA 2019-2-A(August 8,…