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New Penalties for Failure to Provide Unions with Employee Contact Information

On September 27, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 270, which becomes effective July 1, 2022, and amends the Public Employee Communications Chapter (PECC), codified in Government Code section 3555, et seq. Specifically, SB 270 authorizes public employee unions to file unfair practice charges with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) against public employers that fail to comply

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No Vested Right to Retiree Benefits Where Plan Included Anti-Vesting Language

On October 28, 2021, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in Harris v. County of Orange (9th Cir. October 28, 2021, No. 19-56387) __ F.3d __, reiterating the standard enunciated by the California Supreme Court...

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Ethnic Studies to Become a Required High School Course

On October 8, 2021, Governor Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 101, which will require all local educational agencies (LEAs) including charter schools, serving high school students to provide a full-year course in ethnic studies to high school students by the 2025-26 school year.

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In a Case Involving Tragic Facts, Appellate Court Upholds School District and Employees' Immunity from Liability for Student Off-Campus, Unsupervised Injuries

A California Court of Appeal has held that a school district and its employees are not responsible for the safety of a student when the student is not on school property, unless the student is involved in activities undertaken or supervised by the school district.

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Appellate Court Clarifies What School Districts May Charge Charter Schools for Facilities

The California Court of Appeal has held that school districts must exclude maintenance and operations costs from their calculations when determining the pro rata fees of a charter school that pays for its own maintenance and operations.

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Deadline Approaching to Begin Process to Repatriate Collections of Native American Remains and Cultural Items

Assembly Bill (AB) 275 was passed and signed by Governor Newsom on September 25, 2020.

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Ninth Circuit Refuses to Enforce OCR's "Dear Colleague Letters" as Binding Law in Disability Discrimination Suits for Money Damages

Since their initial release in 1994, school officials have looked to “Dear Colleague Letters” (DCLs) issued by the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) as guidance on the implementation of federal special education and disability laws.

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New Laws Affect County Offices of Education: County Superintendent Oversight Duties and Student Board Members

On October 8, 2021, the Governor signed Assembly Bills (AB) 559 and 824 into law. AB 559 provides a new process for identifying schools that county superintendents are required to inspect each year. AB 824 authorizes county boards of education and charter schools to appoint high school pupils as members of their governing boards in response to a student petition.

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Seek and Serve: California Expands Outreach for Homeless Youth

The California Legislature, believing many school districts were inaccurately reporting the numbers of homeless youth residing within their boundaries across the state, enacted Assembly Bill (AB) 27 and Senate Bill (SB) 400 to improve the identification and enrollment for homeless youth residing within a local educational agency’s (LEA) boundaries.

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