In a unanimous ruling today, the Supreme Court found in favor of a special education student's right to pursue an Americans with Disabilities claim in federal court without first exhausting administrative remedies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The case involved a Michi...
On December 20, 2022, the California Department of Education announced the annual adjustment to the bid threshold for competitive contracts awarded by school districts. Public Contract Code section 20111(a) requires school districts to competitively bid contracts involving an expenditure of more...
Student's Off-Campus Social Media Posts Bore Sufficient Connection to School to Permit the School Board to Discipline Student by Expelling Him. Chen v. Albany School District || 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Dec. 27, 2022. In November 2016, a high school student created a private Instag...
On this Veterans Day, Parker & Covert LLP recognizes and thanks all veterans for their service. Three of our partners, Douglas Yeoman, Jonathan Mott, and Spencer Covert served in the armed forces, making this national holiday all the more meaningful for our firm. Below is a brief history of this...
The California State Public Health Officer Order that required unvaccinated school employees to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing has been rescinded effective September 17, 2022. The recission order, issued by California Director and State Public Health Officer Tomás J. Aragón, MD, DrPH on Septe...
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in Fellowship of Christian Athletes v. San Jose Unified School District Board of Education that the San Jose Unified School District (“District”) had violated the First Amendment's Free Exercise clause when it rescinded recognition of the Fell...
In the recent appellate court decision of Jane Doe v. Anderson Union High School District (2022) No. C093099, the court ruled that no duty existed by the school district to supervise a teacher and student who were engaged in a sexual relationship where the misconduct was not foreseeable. Dan...
A recent opinion from the California Court of Appeal, 4th District interpreted Public Contract Code section 20104.50(b) pertaining to interest on progress payments to contractors on public projects. In a suit between a contractor and a water district, the court held that the statute requires th...
Earth Day is an annual celebration to demonstrate support for environmental protection and to raise awareness about environmental issues. Did you know that California schools and universities generate 500,000 tons of waste annually? Half of school waste is organic materials like paper, cardboar...
A number of significant new laws were enacted in 2021, which impact school and community college districts in California. Below is a summary of each new law, many of which impose new legal duties. Feel free to contact our office with any questions or for further information. AB 27 (Homeless ...
We invite you to join the attorneys of Parker & Covert LLP next week at the 2022 California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) Annual Conference! After several years absence, the CASBO Conference will return to the newly renovated Sacramento Convention Center. Attorney Addison C...
California revises COVID-19 masking mandate in schools effective March 11, 2022
Every two years the State Allocation Board (“SAB”) adjusts the amount of developer fees. On February 23, 2022, the SAB increased Level I Developer Fees to $4.79 for residential construction and $0.78 for commercial/industrial construction. Level I Developer Fee Increased: At the State Allocat...
We invite you to join the attorneys of Parker & Covert LLP next week at the 43rd Annual California's Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) Conference on School Facilities! After several years in Southern California, the CASH Conference will return to the newly renovated Sacramento Conven...
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in Crofts v. Issaquah School District that the District had not violated the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) in a case challenging the District's evaluation for special education eligibility and its individualized education ...
The California Court of Appeal recently determined that substantial compliance is necessary when rejecting a government claim for damages. Treasure Andrews sued MTS after being injured on an MTS bus. Andrews served a government claim for damages. MTS served a notice of rejection pursuant to ...
On January 25, 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Brown v. State of Arizona that a university is not liable under Title IX for student-on-student abuse unless it exercises substantial control over the harasser and the context in which the known harassment occurs, explaining in de...
On December 9, 2021, the California Department of Education announced the annual adjustment to the bid threshold for competitive contracts awarded by school districts. Public Contract Code section 20111(a) requires school districts to competitively bid contracts involving an expenditure of more ...
On November 12, 2021, San Diego Superior Court Judge Cynthia A. Freeland dismissed a lawsuit brought by two parent groups, Let Them Breathe and Reopen California Schools (“Plaintiffs”), challenging California's K-12 mask mandate. The dismissed lawsuit challenged the mask mandate contained...
On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) regarding employee COVID-19 vaccination and testing. The ETS applies to all employers that employ 100 or more employees, both private and public employers (with limited e...
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves low-cost or free lunches to nearly 30 million children every school day. The NSLP was established by President Harry Truman in 1946. President John F. Kennedy created National School Lunch Week (NSLW) in 1962 to promote the importance of a health...
On September 23, 2021, Governor Newsom signed SB 169, the higher education budget trailer bill. SB 169 includes the creation of a new, three-year state student housing program – the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program (“Program”) – designed to provide one-time grants for the const...
On October 1, 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students ages 12 and older. This makes California the first state in the nation to require students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for in-person instruction. Similar mandates from the state's largest dist...
The California Court of Appeal in Sierra Watch v. Placer County, et. al (Aug. 24, 2021, No. C087892) recently held that under the Ralph M. Brown Act, a memorandum placed in the county clerk's office is not “available for public inspection” at a time when the clerk's office is closed. In Sierra W...
Parker and Covert LLP, through its Northern and Southern California offices, provides comprehensive legal representation to school districts, community colleges, and other educational clients in communities throughout the state of California.