Utilizing Virtual Instruction and Remote Learning Programs During Extended School Closures Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) initially ordered all public and private schools closed from March 18, 2020, through April 6, 2020, due to the health emergency caused by COVID-19. DHS extended the school closures on March 17, 2020, for the “duration of the health emergency or until a subsequent order lifts this specific […]
New Title IX Regulations Create Sweeping Changes for School Districts’ Responses to Sexual Harassment Complaints and Investigations
On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (“the Department”) issued new final regulations under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. The new regulations, which make sweeping changes to the existing Title IX regulations, […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down “Safer at Home” Order
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down the “Safer at Home” Order (Emergency Order #28) (“Order”) issued by Secretary-Designee of the Department of Health Services, Andrea Palm, at the direction of Governor Tony Evers. In a 4-3 decision accompanied by several concurring and dissenting opinions, the Court’s majority concluded that the Order was “unlawful, invalid, […]
Secretary DeVos Files Report to Congress, Recommending Against Authorizing Waivers for IDEA Core Principles
Within the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), Congress requested a report from U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on recommended waiver authority for the Department of Education to provide State and local educational agencies flexibility to meet the needs of students with disabilities during the public health emergency. Secretary DeVos issued the […]
Legal Issues Involved with Protective Gear in the Workplace
Wisconsin’s recent emergency orders signal that the process of re-opening the state’s economy after the COVID-19 public health emergency is starting, but slowly. With some businesses starting to reopen, and other businesses continuing operations to the extent permitted, many employers are utilizing personal protective equipment (PPE), signage and other social distance control measures to help […]
