Preparing for Possible Reductions in Force

In April 2020, Governor Cuomo announced the possibility of mid-year state aid cuts of up to twenty percent if the federal government did not provide financial assistance.  Even though on September 16, 2020 Governor Cuomo announced that the aid to be disbursed in September will not be reduced, the already reduced state aid, along with …

New Record Retention Schedule: ED-1 is Being Replaced by LGS-01

NYSED and Facilities Planning for School Re-Opening

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) recently issued Guidance dealing with facilities renovations associated with School Re-Opening, available at http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/reopening-schools/nys-p12-school-reopening-guidance.pdf. More recently, FAQs were issued by the NYSED Office of Facilities Planning (OFP) available at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/documents/08-05-2020COVIDFAQs.pdf .  In addition to the FAQs, the OFP issued a form to be used when submitting facilities renovations …

Do Not Forget Your SRO and Safety Plans

The past three months have been unexpected to say the least.  Now that the school year is complete and the budget vote is over, it is time to plan for next year.  Most of us are questioning what next year will look like.  While you navigate the post-COVID world, do not lose sight of your …

Field Trips Should be Reviewed and Approved by Business Office and Counsel

During the Covid-19 pandemic, most, if not all, school field trips were canceled. The problem in many situations was that the school-sponsored field trip contract was not reviewed and approved by the district’s business office and district’s legal counsel.  In many situations, the travel company’s boilerplate contract language contained provisions which required impractical cancellation notices, …

Are Compensatory Educational Services in Order?

During these past months of COVID-19 school closures and remote instruction, students with disabilities have received special education instruction and related services using varying degrees of remote telepractice.  The U.S. Department of Education has advised that special education services need to be provided equitably compared to that instruction provided to students without a disability.  Nevertheless, …