schools – Overlawyered https://www.overlawyered.com/ Chronicling the high cost of our legal system Sun, 26 Apr 2020 18:24:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Schools roundup https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/04/schools-roundup-53/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/04/schools-roundup-53/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2020 10:15:04 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73975 Presumptive ban on homeschooling? A bad idea for so many reasons, especially when the presumption should be of liberty [Erin O’Donnell, Harvard Magazine; Kerry McDonald, Cato] Harvard Law School is hosting a June conference on homeschooling and the law dominated by advocates of placing new legal restrictions on the practice [Corey DeAngelis] A recent HLS […]

Schools roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • Presumptive ban on homeschooling? A bad idea for so many reasons, especially when the presumption should be of liberty [Erin O’Donnell, Harvard Magazine; Kerry McDonald, Cato] Harvard Law School is hosting a June conference on homeschooling and the law dominated by advocates of placing new legal restrictions on the practice [Corey DeAngelis] A recent HLS grad who was homeschooled weighs in [Alex J. Harris]
  • Equity versus achievement: U.S. Department of Education urges schools working remotely to teach new content rather than just review the old [Andrew Ujifusa, Education Week, earlier on controversy; Hans Bader on Arlington, Va. schools]
  • “A politically progressive caucus within the [teacher’s] union is calling on its leaders to push for ‘less academic work’ during the coming months, and to lobby for a moratorium on student grades and teacher evaluations.” [Dana Goldstein and Eliza Shapiro, New York Times] San Francisco school board to vote on plan that would give students in grades 6-12 a grade of A in all subjects [KGO; Alison Collins and commenters; related on mass social promotion, Andy Smarick, The Atlantic]
  • Those copyright license issues that keep church congregations from incorporating music into their online services also complicate the lives of educators trying to carry out online instruction [Mike Masnick, TechDirt]
  • Before, or at least separate from, the crisis: “Should Students Be Excused from School for Political Activism?” [Jim Geraghty, National Review] “Public Education as Public Indoctrination” [Ilya Somin] Group that wants regulatory stringency of federal school lunch program to be decided in courtroom rather than at ballot box ironically styles itself “Democracy Forward.” [Lola Fadulu, New York Times]
  • Split Sixth Circuit panel rules that Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects a fundamental right to a “basic minimum education,” a holding that seems unlikely to survive Supreme Court review given such precedents as Rodriguez, Glucksberg, and DeShaney [Jonathan Adler, Josh Blackman]
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    Schools roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/04/schools-roundup-53/feed/ 3     “Who is better positioned than a superintendent of schools to take a stand on this issue?” https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/03/who-is-better-positioned-than-a-superintendent-of-schools-to-take-a-stand-on-this-issue/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/03/who-is-better-positioned-than-a-superintendent-of-schools-to-take-a-stand-on-this-issue/#comments Sun, 08 Mar 2020 16:03:13 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73986 Who, indeed? “School districts are at the head of a cresting wave of litigation against JUUL and other e-cigarette manufacturers, seeking to recover the costs of prevention programs, counseling, and treatment for addicted students. Nearly 100 districts have sued.” [Stephen Sawchuk and Denisa Superville, Education Week] Tags: schools, tobacco

    “Who is better positioned than a superintendent of schools to take a stand on this issue?” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     Who, indeed? “School districts are at the head of a cresting wave of litigation against JUUL and other e-cigarette manufacturers, seeking to recover the costs of prevention programs, counseling, and treatment for addicted students. Nearly 100 districts have sued.” [Stephen Sawchuk and Denisa Superville, Education Week]

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    “Who is better positioned than a superintendent of schools to take a stand on this issue?” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/03/who-is-better-positioned-than-a-superintendent-of-schools-to-take-a-stand-on-this-issue/feed/ 7     Schools and childhood roundup https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/02/schools-and-childhood-roundup-5/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/02/schools-and-childhood-roundup-5/#comments Mon, 10 Feb 2020 11:01:39 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=66898 Most kids find whole milk the most palatable and there’s now evidence that it can also be a healthier choice for many. So why should the federal school lunch program prevent localities from offering it? [Change.org petition, Alice Park, Time 2016; Skeptical Cardiologist; Philip Gruber, Lancaster Farming] Don’t expect much from new changes to federal […]

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  • Most kids find whole milk the most palatable and there’s now evidence that it can also be a healthier choice for many. So why should the federal school lunch program prevent localities from offering it? [Change.org petition, Alice Park, Time 2016; Skeptical Cardiologist; Philip Gruber, Lancaster Farming] Don’t expect much from new changes to federal school lunch program [Baylen Linnekin]
  • Even when one parent’s a pediatric emergency room doc, a family can still be vulnerable to having their infant seized by Child Protective Services over ambiguous indicators of physical injury. A Wisconsin nightmare [Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News; Lenore Skenazy]
  • Economist Emily Oster speaks on her book Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool [Cato event video, joined by Julie Gunlock and Chelsea Follett, and related Cato Daily Podcast with Oster and Caleb Brown]
  • “A 2019 report found that the number of small family child care providers (one person caring for children in his/her own home) declined by 35 percent from 2011 to 2017. … Unsurprisingly, during this same time child care licensing requirements increased dramatically.” [Angela Rachidi, AEI; earlier here, here, here, etc.]
  • On requirements for “community service hours” before graduation: “My line is that community service is for convicted criminals, but high school students are innocent.” [Arnold Kling]
  • “Florida 6-year-old arrested, handcuffed for elementary school tantrum” [Ebony Bowden, New York Post in September] “Pointing a finger gun lands 12-year-old Johnson County student in handcuffs” [Mará Rose Williams, Kansas City Star]
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    Schools and childhood roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2020/02/schools-and-childhood-roundup-5/feed/ 6     Schools roundup https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/11/schools-roundup-52/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/11/schools-roundup-52/#comments Mon, 11 Nov 2019 10:58:24 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73731 “Sen. Kamala Harris introduces bill to lengthen school day by three hours” [Yelena Dzhanova, CNBC] “The Hidden Costs of Chicago’s Teacher Strike” [John McGinnis, Liberty and Law] “The logic behind school busing is back. And so is flight from government-operated schools.” [Matt Welch, Reason, mentioning new report on controlled choice by David Armor for the […]

    Schools roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

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  • “Sen. Kamala Harris introduces bill to lengthen school day by three hours” [Yelena Dzhanova, CNBC]
  • “The Hidden Costs of Chicago’s Teacher Strike” [John McGinnis, Liberty and Law]
  • “The logic behind school busing is back. And so is flight from government-operated schools.” [Matt Welch, Reason, mentioning new report on controlled choice by David Armor for the Cato Institute Center for Educational Freedom]
  • Ambition of suppressing or even banning private schooling [earlier] by no means confined to the UK’s loony-Left Labour Party, so be ready for it [Ira Stoll, Education Next]
  • “The Seattle school district is planning to infuse all K-12 math classes with ethnic-studies questions that encourage students to explore how math has been ‘appropriated’ by Western culture and used in systems of power and oppression” [Catherine Gewertz, Education Week; “framework” via Amir Sariaslan on Twitter]
  • “Threatening Teachers’ Ability to Control Their Classrooms: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights gets it wrong on school discipline.” [Gail Heriot] Survey finds significant rise in number of teachers attacked by students [Hans Bader; earlier here, etc.] More: Max Eden, Quillette.
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    Schools roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/11/schools-roundup-52/feed/ 5     Schools and childhood roundup https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/09/schools-and-childhood-roundup-4/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/09/schools-and-childhood-roundup-4/#comments Fri, 27 Sep 2019 09:58:18 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73446 Britain’s Labour Party conference pledges to take over private schools, confiscating endowments as well as land and property [Benjamin Kentish, Independent] New York Department of Education readies moves to place private and religious schools under much tighter government control [Peter Murphy, City Journal] Chicago teachers’ union sends delegation on “solidarity trip” to Venezuela [Mark Glennon, […]

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  • Britain’s Labour Party conference pledges to take over private schools, confiscating endowments as well as land and property [Benjamin Kentish, Independent]
  • New York Department of Education readies moves to place private and religious schools under much tighter government control [Peter Murphy, City Journal]
  • Chicago teachers’ union sends delegation on “solidarity trip” to Venezuela [Mark Glennon, Wirepoints; Hannah Leone, Chicago Tribune]
  • So-called Blaine Amendments bar religious schools in participating in voucher programs to which they would be admitted were they nonsectarian. A case of religious discrimination, and if so, violative of the First Amendment? [Ilya Shapiro and Dennis Garcia on Cato merits brief in Supreme Court case of Espinosa v. Montana, Trevor Burrus and Patrick Moran on certiorari stage brief]
  • “The [California] draft curriculum says that ethnic studies courses created by districts from the proposed curriculum will… ‘critique empire and its relationship to white supremacy, …capitalism, and other forms of power and oppression'” [Valerie Strauss, Washington Post/Lowell Sun; Elizabeth Castillo, Cal Matters; Joanne Jacobs]
  • “Kamala Harris expresses ‘regret’ over California truancy law” [Katie Galioto, Politico; background; “Souvarine”, Daily Kos (“criminal penalties for parents of truant children” are among “the earliest and most enduring progressive victories”; also tracing publicity on the issue to a certain scribbler of “libertarian claptrap,” though I made clear I was building on the earlier work of, e.g., the Marshall Project)]
  • Despite strenuous efforts in Seattle and D.C. suburbs to impose “equity lens” on school systems and train all sides about implicit bias and systemic racism, no sign that actual outcome gaps are likely to budge [Rebecca Tan, Washington Post]
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    Schools and childhood roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/09/schools-and-childhood-roundup-4/feed/ 5     Schools roundup https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/07/schools-roundup-51/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/07/schools-roundup-51/#comments Mon, 22 Jul 2019 09:58:25 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73216 Progressive law school opinion has never made its peace with Milliken v. Bradley, which is another reason not to be surprised that the coming campaign cycle might relitigate the whole school busing issue [Em Steck and Andrew Kaczynski, CNN on 1975 Elizabeth Warren article] Irony? School “anti-bullying specialist” seems to have bullied students over officially […]

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  • Progressive law school opinion has never made its peace with Milliken v. Bradley, which is another reason not to be surprised that the coming campaign cycle might relitigate the whole school busing issue [Em Steck and Andrew Kaczynski, CNN on 1975 Elizabeth Warren article]
  • Irony? School “anti-bullying specialist” seems to have bullied students over officially disapproved expression [Robby Soave, Reason; Lacey Township, N.J. students suspended over off-campus Snapchat]
  • How Abbott and other New Jersey school finance rulings wound up plunging the state deep in debt [Steven Malanga, City Journal; earlier here and at Cato on New Jersey and more generally on school finance litigation including here, here (Kansas, etc.) and at Cato (Colorado)]
  • “Pennsylvania School District Warns Parents They Could Lose Kids Over Unpaid School Lunches” [AP/CBS Philadelphia]
  • “Educational Freedom, Teacher Sickouts, and Bloated Higher Ed” [Cato Daily Podcast with Corey DeAngelis, Neal McCluskey, and Caleb Brown]
  • No shock, Sherlock: New York law suspending statute of limitations for suing schools results in higher insurance premiums for public districts [New York Post]
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    Schools roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/07/schools-roundup-51/feed/ 2     How Illinois is that? https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/06/how-illinois-is-that/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/06/how-illinois-is-that/#comments Sun, 09 Jun 2019 15:59:13 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73329 A very Illinois situation: “An Illinois union lobbyist can keep the public pension windfall he qualified for by spending one day as a substitute teaching, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled.” [Ray Long, Chicago Tribune via its Twitter] More on Illinois public employee pensions: “More than 19,000 Illinois Government Retirees Receive Pensions Over $100K” [Janelle […]

    How Illinois is that? is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     A very Illinois situation: “An Illinois union lobbyist can keep the public pension windfall he qualified for by spending one day as a substitute teaching, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled.” [Ray Long, Chicago Tribune via its Twitter]

    More on Illinois public employee pensions: “More than 19,000 Illinois Government Retirees Receive Pensions Over $100K” [Janelle Cammenga, Illinois Policy] “Mapping the $100,000+ Illinois Teacher Pensions Costing Taxpayers Nearly $1.0 Billion” [Adam Andrzejewski, Forbes 2016] “Top 200 Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Pensions as of 2017” [Taxpayers United (park district employees score highly in $150K+ annual pension listings)] (via @TwoBoysCapital on Twitter)

    Meanwhile, so delightfully Chicago: “JUST IN: Lawyer for ex-Ald. Willie Cochran ask for six months home confinement, saying ‘”since sending previous aldermen to jail has not done anything to curb Chicago’s tidal wave of aldermanic corruption cases, there is no reason to think that sending Mr. Cochran to jail will.'” [Chicago Tribune reporter Jason Meisner on Twitter]

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    How Illinois is that? is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/06/how-illinois-is-that/feed/ 2     “Calgary-area mom served with cease and desist letter after going public with classroom concerns” https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/05/calgary-area-mom-served-with-cease-and-desist-letter-after-going-public-with-classroom-concerns/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/05/calgary-area-mom-served-with-cease-and-desist-letter-after-going-public-with-classroom-concerns/#comments Sun, 26 May 2019 15:58:49 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73288 Alberta, Canada: “A Calgary-area mother who spoke out to CBC News over concerns about a large combined Grade 2 class at Red Deer Lake School has been handed a cease-and-desist letter by a law firm on behalf of the school board….Other parents have also received the letter and are not willing to be interviewed as […]

    “Calgary-area mom served with cease and desist letter after going public with classroom concerns” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     Alberta, Canada: “A Calgary-area mother who spoke out to CBC News over concerns about a large combined Grade 2 class at Red Deer Lake School has been handed a cease-and-desist letter by a law firm on behalf of the school board….Other parents have also received the letter and are not willing to be interviewed as a result.” [Jennifer Lee, CBC]

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    “Calgary-area mom served with cease and desist letter after going public with classroom concerns” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/05/calgary-area-mom-served-with-cease-and-desist-letter-after-going-public-with-classroom-concerns/feed/ 6     Peter Cottontail’s paper trail https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/04/peter-cottontails-paper-trail/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/04/peter-cottontails-paper-trail/#comments Sat, 13 Apr 2019 15:57:41 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73163 Headline tells the story: “Parents at UC-Berkeley Easter Egg Hunt Must Sign Waivers Due to Risk of ‘Catastrophic Injuries and Death'” [Lenore Skenazy, Reason] Tags: recreation, schools

    Peter Cottontail’s paper trail is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     Headline tells the story: “Parents at UC-Berkeley Easter Egg Hunt Must Sign Waivers Due to Risk of ‘Catastrophic Injuries and Death'” [Lenore Skenazy, Reason]

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    Peter Cottontail’s paper trail is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

    ]]>     https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/04/peter-cottontails-paper-trail/feed/ 15     Schools and childhood roundup https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/04/schools-and-childhood-roundup-3/ https://www.overlawyered.com/2019/04/schools-and-childhood-roundup-3/#comments Fri, 05 Apr 2019 09:59:07 +0000 https://www.overlawyered.com/?p=73020 Stop active-shooter drills in schools: “Preparing our children for profoundly unlikely events would be one thing if that preparation had no downside. But in this case, our efforts may exact a high price.” [Erika Christakis, The Atlantic] “Lockdowns and active-shooter drills have led to officers firing blank rounds to simulate live fire, mock executions of […]

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  • Stop active-shooter drills in schools: “Preparing our children for profoundly unlikely events would be one thing if that preparation had no downside. But in this case, our efforts may exact a high price.” [Erika Christakis, The Atlantic] “Lockdowns and active-shooter drills have led to officers firing blank rounds to simulate live fire, mock executions of teachers, and students tearfully writing out wills while hunkered down. …Last year, The Post reported an estimate that the odds of a child being fatally shot while at school any given day since 1999 was 1 in 614,000,000.” [Jonathan Blanks, Washington Post/Cato]
  • After ordeal with Child Protective Services based on drug test fluke, Western New York mom “is certain of one thing, she’ll never eat a poppy seed again.” [WROC]
  • Answer: no. “Should access to a public education be a constitutional right for all children?” [Jessica Campisi, Education Dive; Mark Walsh, Education Week, covering AEI debate on holding of 1973 Supreme Court case of San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez against such a federal right]
  • Pay attention to the politics of schools of education, because they help determine what you’ll see in the classroom down the road [Jay Schalin, Martin Center] More: University of Washington’s Secondary Teacher Education Program “is a 12-month immersion in doctrinaire social justice activism.” [Quillette]
  • “The Regressive Effects of Childcare Regulations” [Cato video with Ryan Bourne]
  • “Court revives Obama-era rule that incentivizes racial quotas in special ed” [Liam Bissainthe]
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