Court Cases

In this June 8, 2021 photo, with dark clouds overhead, the Supreme Court is seen in Washington.
The U.S. Supreme Court's new term opens in early October with several cases that could impact K-12 schools.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Here Are the Upcoming Supreme Court Cases That Matter for Schools
Major cases on school choice and religious schools will be heard, along with a case on whether school boards can reprimand outspoken members.
Mark Walsh, September 27, 2021
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9 min read
Illustration of a vaccine, medical equipment, a clock and a calendar with a date marked in red.
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School & District Management Some Teachers Won't Get Vaccinated, Even With a Mandate. What Should Schools Do About It?
Vaccine requirements for teachers are gaining traction, but the logistics of upholding them are complicated.
Madeline Will, September 24, 2021
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9 min read
Students line up to have their temperature taken as they return for the first time as their school, The Learning Community, reopens to in-person learning after it closed for the pandemic a year ago, in Central Falls, R.I., on March 29, 2021.
Students line up to have their temperature taken as they return for the first time as their school, The Learning Community, reopens to in-person learning after it closed for the pandemic a year ago, in Central Falls, R.I., on March 29, 2021.
David Goldman/AP
Law & Courts Families Sue Rhode Island's Governor to Overturn His School Mask Mandate
The families say mask-wearing threatens to cause serious and long-lasting damage on their children's physical and emotional well-being.
Linda Borg, The Providence Journal, September 17, 2021
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2 min read
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site in Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Aug. 18, 2021. The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students is back in force. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Friday, Sept. 10, that a Tallahassee judge should not have lifted an automatic stay two days ago that halted enforcement of the mask mandate ban.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site in Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Aug. 18, 2021. The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students is back in force. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Friday, Sept. 10, that a Tallahassee judge should not have lifted an automatic stay two days ago that halted enforcement of the mask mandate ban.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Law & Courts Federal Judge Denies Parents' Suit to Block Florida's Ban on School Mask Mandates
The parents argued that their children, due to health conditions, were at particular risk if any of their peers attend school without masks.
David Goodhue, Miami Herald, September 16, 2021
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3 min read
Julia Longoria has joined a federal lawsuit by Disability Rights Texas against Texas Governor Greg Abbott over his ban on mask mandates in public schools. Longoria argues that the executive order prevents her child, Juliana, who is medically at-risk, from being able to attend school safely. Juliana Ramirez, 8, a third grader at James Bonham Academy in San Antonio, Texas, has ADHD and severe asthma which puts her at risk of complications from COVID-19.
Julia Longoria has joined a federal lawsuit by Disability Rights Texas against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over his ban on mask mandates in public schools. Longoria argues that the executive order prevents her child, Juliana, 8, who is medically at risk, from being able to attend school safely.
Julia Robinson for Education Week
Families & the Community 'I Need You to Wear a Mask to Protect My Child.' A Mom Fights for Vulnerable Students
Some parents see a tension between their medically vulnerable children's safety and their educational needs during the pandemic.
Evie Blad, September 16, 2021
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8 min read
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Austin Police Association in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 10, 2020.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Austin Police Association in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 10, 2020.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Law & Courts Texas Attorney General Sues More School Districts That Require Masks
The Texas attorney general's office anticipates filing more lawsuits against districts flouting the governor’s order. Will Dallas be next?
Talia Richman, The Dallas Morning News, September 15, 2021
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4 min read
Image of a band-aid being placed on the arm.
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Law & Courts Can They Do That? Questions Swirl Around COVID-19 School Vaccine Mandates
With at least one large school district adopting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, here is a look at the legal landscape for such a requirement.
Mark Walsh, September 10, 2021
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5 min read
The Supreme Court in Washington as seen on Oct. 7, 2020. After more than a decade in which the Supreme Court moved gradually toward more leniency for minors convicted of murder, the justices have moved the other way. The high court ruled 6-3 Thursday along ideological lines against a Mississippi inmate sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally stabbing his grandfather when the defendant was 15 years old. The case is important because it marks a break with the court’s previous rulings and is evidence of the impact of a newly more conservative court.
The U.S. Supreme Court as seen on Oct. 7, 2020.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts High Court Justice Rejects Student's Bid to Block Removal Over Sexual Harassment Claim
Justice Elena Kagan denied a California student's effort to return to school after his 'emergency' suspension under Title IX regulations.
Mark Walsh, September 7, 2021
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3 min read
Girl looking into smartphone facial recognition
Getty
Privacy & Security N.Y. School District's Facial Recognition System Remains on Hold, Lawsuit Dismissed
A law temporarily barring the use of biometric-based surveillance in New York schools supersedes a lawsuit from the state ACLU chapter.
Benjamin Joe, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y., September 7, 2021
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2 min read
A sign is seen outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
A sign is seen outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
Patrick Raycraft/Hartford Courant via TNS
Law & Courts Gunmaker Is Seeking School Records of Children Who Died in the Sandy Hook Massacre
Families want a court order to keep subpoenaed school records for five children and four educators who died in the 2012 attack confidential.
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, September 3, 2021
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2 min read
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference, Thursday, April 8, 2021, at PortMiami in Miami.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference, Thursday, April 8, 2021, at PortMiami in Miami.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Law & Courts Florida Attorney General Joins Mask Mandate Legal Fight as State Defies Court Ruling
Fla. Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, said school districts must comply with the ban on mask mandates.
Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, September 2, 2021
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4 min read
Students sit in an Algebra class at Barbara Coleman Senior High School on the first day of school, in Miami Lakes, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2021. Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, Aug, 27, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order banning such mandates.
Students sit in an Algebra class at Barbara Coleman Senior High School on the first day of school, in Miami Lakes, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2021. Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, Aug, 27, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order banning such mandates.
Marta Lavandier/AP
School & District Management Florida Withholds School Board Salaries Over Mask Mandates
The state is withholding money to penalize districts that defy the ban on mask mandates, despite a ruling deeming that ban unconstitutional.
Scott Travis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 31, 2021
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5 min read
Image of a gavel.
Marilyn Nieves/E+
Law & Courts Virginia Supreme Court Backs Teacher Who Spoke Against Transgender Policy at Board Meeting
The state's high court upheld an injunction requiring the Loudoun County school district to reinstate elementary teacher Tanner Cross.
Mark Walsh, August 31, 2021
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3 min read
Image showing a gavel coming down on a medical face mask.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Law & Courts Mask Mandate Lawsuits Reflect Bigger Battle: Do States or Local Districts Control Schools?
Some legal clarity is forming over whether governors may restrict school districts from enacting mask mandates to fight COVID-19.
Mark Walsh, August 27, 2021
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9 min read
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