Sep 20th, 2021Establishing a Routine Procedure May Assist in Legal Challenges
Parents everywhere are relieved to have their children back into a regular school schedule, but routines aren’t just beneficial for students. A recent decision of a New York State Review Officer (SRO) suggests schools would be well-served to put routines into place to assist in legal challenges regarding the mailing and receipt of required documents. …
Sep 20th, 2021“Emergency” Bidding Exception May Apply to Purchases Required by COVID-19 Pandemic
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have been tasked with complying with continually changing Executive Orders, Department of Health guidance, and other safety requirements designed to protect the health of students and staff. These mandates and guidelines have required procurement of health and safety equipment to combat the spread of COVID-19, including: Personal …
Sep 20th, 2021Successful Construction Project Closeout
“The hardest part of the race comes at the end.” Whether your construction project was flawlessly executed or was a recurring source of frustration, when you approach project completion, you must finish the race to properly close out each contract. The proper close-out can be a trust and confidence issue reflective of how well the …
Sep 10th, 2021New OSHA Rule to Require Worker Vaccinations or Testing for Large Employers
Yesterday, President Biden announced that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will develop and implement new emergency regulations that require private sector employers with 100 or more workers to ensure that those employees are either fully vaccinated or subject to COVID-19 testing at least once per week. OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary …
Aug 31st, 2021School Year 2021-2022: Will Your School or BOCES Be Implementing Health Screenings?
When schools reopened for the 2020-2021 school year, it was clear that students, staff and visitors were required to undergo a daily health screening designed to determine if the individual was exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, or may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. As of the date of this publication, and unlike for last …
Aug 31st, 2021Reasonable Decorum: Not Too Much to Ask
Unfortunately, videos of school board meetings descending into shouting matches, or worse, are becoming increasingly common. While there may be no 100% effective way to prevent people from engaging in obnoxious or bullying behavior during board meetings, school districts have tools at their disposal to facilitate civility. While perhaps hard to define, the expectation that …
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