On Sept. 30, the Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District issued a decision in the case of Berkley People’s Alliance v. City of Berkeley overturning the lower court’s order dismissing the case. The appellate court held that recessing a public meeting and reconvening […]
Category: legal
Legal update: Head Start among programs open to all regardless of immigration status after recent court ruling
On Sept. 10, a judge for the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction pausing the federal government’s attempt to restrict access to certain public programs based on immigration status. The injunction arises out of a legal challenge by 20 states, including […]
New toolkit provides guidance to LEAs in navigating FERPA and HIPAA
The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) recently released a toolkit detailing two federal data privacy laws — the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule — and how they might apply in […]
Navigating opt-out requests in light of Mahmoud v. Taylor
In response to learning that some school districts and county offices of education (COEs) expect a high volume of opt-out requests based on the recent Supreme Court decision, CSBA offers some key considerations for creating opt-out procedures and forms. On July 7, CSBA issued “Policy implications of […]
Policy implications of Mahmoud v. Taylor
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.
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 […]








