In addition to setting new legal precedent, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Mahmoud v. Taylor has significant policy implications. This article offers an initial assessment of those implications and some related observations.
Category: legal
Supreme Court issues decision in disability discrimination case against Minnesota district
On June 12, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in A.J.T. v. Osseo, a case that examined whether claims by students arguing disability discrimination by school districts under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require a […]
Ninth Circuit Court once again finds trustee violated constituents First Amendment right
On May 14, the Ninth Circuit issued a decision in Garnier v. O’Connor-Ratcliff, a case that relates to public officials’ use of social media, and which the U.S. Supreme Court remanded for reconsideration under a newly created standard. CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance (ELA) filed an […]
Ninth Circuit overturns district court’s dismissal of parental notification case and orders reconsideration
On April 4, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in Regino v. Staley, a case about parental notification and student privacy rights. The court’s decision vacated the District Court’s decision to dismiss the case with prejudice and remanded the case back for further proceedings with guidance on how the lower court should move forward in its considerations of Regino’s claims.
Legal update: Federal FERPA letter explained
The Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) is a division of the U.S. Department of Education tasked with, among other things, the administration of federal laws related to student privacy in local educational agencies that receive federal funds. Each year, two laws — the Family Educational […]
Court finds in favor of CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance in charter renewal case
In the first litigation regarding Assembly Bill 1505, a sweeping charter school reform bill, CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance (ELA) secured a victory from the Court of Appeal in ELA v. State Board of Education and Napa Foundation for Options in Education. In an opinion issued […]
U.S. Department of Education releases FAQs regarding stance on racial discrimination
On Feb. 28, the U.S. Department of Education released a “Frequently Asked Questions About Racial Preferences and Stereotypes Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act” (FAQ) document in an effort to answer questions about a dear colleague letter released on Feb. 14. The “Dear […]
Legal update: 2024 Title IX regulations have been vacated
As explained in a previous issue of California School News, in April 2024 the Biden Administration issued new Title IX regulations effective Aug. 1, 2024. Among other things, these regulations made significant changes to Title IX sexual harassment procedures — such as those governing the […]
The latest TikTok lawsuit brought by 13 states and Washington, D.C.
On Oct. 8, 2024, a coalition of 14 attorneys general, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta, filed lawsuits in their respective states and Washington, D.C. against the social media giant TikTok for allegedly exploiting and harming young users and deceiving the public about the dangers […]
Election season primer: Senate Bill 1439
With election season in full swing, elected board members, especially those running for re-election, should be aware of laws that affect campaign activities and contributions, including the pay-to-play provisions of Senate Bill 1439 (2022). Specifically, SB 1439 widened the scope of Government Code Section 84308, […]