Editor’s Note: The following blog post contains a technical analysis of a recent decision in Fellowship of Christian Athletes v. San Jose Unified School District. The main blog post is prefaced with a brief summary designed for those without legal training. The heart of the […]
Category: legal
California Attorney General files complaint for injunctive and declaratory relief against Chino Valley USD
On Aug. 28, 2023, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a complaint in California Superior Court, San Bernardino County, requesting a declaration that Chino Valley Unified School District’s new policy, Policy 5020.1, is unconstitutional under the California Constitution and/or state law. The complaint also asks […]
Court rules in favor of district in student privacy case
On July 10, Judge John A. Mendez of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California issued a decision in favor of Chico Unified School District in the case of Regino v. Staley, which involves a parent’s challenge to a school district […]
Court of Appeal issues opinion in favor of Alameda USD parcel tax
On Aug. 3, the Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District of California issued its opinion in the case of Traiman v. Alameda Unified School District, reversing the lower court’s decision and validating the tax levied by the school district. The case relates to […]
Supreme Court sets new standard for employers to provide religious accommodations
On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Groff v. DeJoy, which relates to religious accommodations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on, among other protected categories, religion. The law imposes an obligation […]
Supreme Court rules against affirmative action
The spring edition of California Schools magazine included an article detailing the United States Supreme Court’s history on affirmative action and described two then-pending cases that sought to undo 45 years of judicial precedent, and consequently make affirmative action practices illegal in United States colleges’ […]
Superior Court rules State Board of Education abused its authority in overturning local charter denials
In January 2023, CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance (ELA) filed writ of mandate seeking to invalidate the State Board of Education’s (SBE) decision to grant the appeal of the petition for Mayacamas Charter School, which overturned the decisions by both the Napa Valley Unified School District […]
Legal update: ELA to file amicus brief in support of trustees in Garnier v. O’Connor-Ratcliff
In CSBA’s winter 2022 magazine, the Legal Team provided a summary of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Garnier v. O’Connor-Ratcliff, which held that the decision of two school board members to block some constituents from accessing private social media accounts used by […]
Court upholds Political Reform Act amendments under SB 1439
Senate Bill 1439 became effective on Jan. 1, 2023. The bill amended the Political Reform Act (PRA), approved by the voters in 1974, by eliminating an exception to the prohibition on “pay-to play” campaign contribution that applied to local elected officials. Because the exception was […]
Legal update: State officials weigh in on removal of library books and instructional materials from school settings
On June 1, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond issued a joint letter related to book bans and the legal standards that guide decisions related to limiting instructional materials and resources available in school libraries. […]