Source: http://www.frazerfeldman.com/archived-client-memoranda.php
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 22:03:11+00:00

Document:
FFEDLAW Memo re LIPA PILOT and 2017-18 Tax Levy Cap Calculation.
A number of our client school districts have raised questions about the LIPA PILOT statements received from Nassau County for the 2016-17 school year and whether those statements reflect the amount of LIPA PILOTs that should be used for purposes of calculating the District’s tax levy limit for 2017-18.
Amendments to Local School District Wellness Policies.
This is to inform you that the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture has released its final rule regarding wellness policies under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 ("Kids' Act"). A wellness policy is a written document that guides a school district's efforts to establish a school environment that promotes student health and well being, as well as an ability to learn. Most of you originally adopted a wellness program policy in 2006, and revised it in 2010 to comply with the Kids' Act.
New Laws Regarding School Budgets and Finances.
This memorandum provides information about recent amendments to the Education Law, effective July 1, 2017, that relate to reserve funds, school finances, annual budgets and multi-year financial plans. The amendments were designed to increase transparency in school district fiscal operations. Set forth below is a summary of each major change.
This memorandum updates the status of litigation over NYSHIP Policy Memorandum No. 122r3 (“122r3"). As you will recall, 122r3 prohibited health insurance opt-out payments to employees who retain NYSHIP coverage through a spouse or parent.
This memorandum is to review a school district’s responsibility to educate all children who reside in the geographic boundaries of the school district, regardless of immigration status. Recently, enforcement actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), the federal agency responsible for immigration, have received greater media scrutiny. With this scrutiny, we have begun to receive a number of questions as to how school administration should respond to this rapidly evolving situation.
This memorandum is to alert you to the recently released application from the New York State Education Department ("SED") regareding how to report student alternate assessment scores. As background, under the federal Elementary and Secodary Education Act ("ESEA"), a school district is limited in the number of students it can count as "proficient" using alternate achievement testing. Generally, alternate achievement assessments are used to evaluate the performance of those students whose disabilities are so significant that they are unable to participate in New York State assessments, even with accomodations.
This memorandum provides information about recent amendments to the Commissioner’s Regulations pertaining to child abuse reporting. 8 N.Y.C.R.R. §100.2(nn). The purpose is to increase awareness and make it easier for members of the school community to report allegations of suspected child abuse or maltreatment.
This memorandum provides information about recent amendments to New York State laws and regulations pertaining to epinephrine auto-injectors, such as EpiPen or EpiPen Jr., in the school setting. Effective March 28, 2017, the amendments will simplify the existing requirements for the maintenance and use of epinephrine auto-injectors in schools and other public places. See N.Y. Pub. Health Law §§3000-a, 3000-c and 8 N.Y.C.R.R. Part 136. An overview of each major change is set forth below.
This memorandum provides information about a new rule regarding the use of headgear by participants in interscholastic girls' lacrosse. For several years, except for goalkeepers, the use of headgear in girls' lacrosse has been optional. This continues to be the case; however, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association ("NYSPHSAA") recently amended its rules for girls' lacrosse to include the following provision: "Rule 2 Section 10: Effective January 1, 2017, the only optional headgear allowed for use must meet the new ASTM1 standard, F31317."
As an education law firm that is AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, Frazer & Feldman, LLP offers strong general, special education, and labor counsel services, as well as a pro-active approach in advising clients.
2017 Annual Election and Budget Vote Materials.
As you know, on January 10, 2017, our office presented a legal seminar to provide our clients with information about the 2017 Annual Election and Budget Vote. For your information, attached please find a copy of the legal outline entitled “A Primer on School District Elections,” which was distributed to all of our attendees during the seminar.
In this installment of the Attorney’s Corner, we review a federal court decision, three NYSED Office of State Review (SRO) decisions, a State Educational Agency decision from Massachusetts, and an OSEP policy guidance letter.
Testing Accommodations for Grades 3-8 ELA Assessments.
This memorandum provides information about recent guidance from the New York State Education Department ("NYSED") regarding updates to the testing accommodation "tests read" for students with disabilities.' This guidance, issued on November 22, 2016, replaces prior NYSED guidance concerning testing accommodations for students with disabilities on the Grades 3-8 NYS English Language Arts ("ELA") Assessments.
As you may recall, we sent a Client Memorandum regarding "Changes to the U.S. Department of Labor Overtime Rule" on June 1, 2016. This memorandum is to advise you that the rule change, which was scheduled to go into effect on December 1, 2016, was stayed by the issuance of a preliminary injunction on November 22, 2016. State of Nevada, et al v. United States Department of Labor, et al., 2016 WL 6879615.1 The rule would have raised the threshold amount that disqualifies executive, administrative and professional salaried employees from overtime pay eligibility to $913 per week or $47,476 per year. In addition, the rule would have raised the total annual salary threshold for highly compensated employees who regularly perform at least one of the duties or responsibilities of an exempt executive, administrative or professional employee to $134,004.
Annual District Election and Budget Vote Seminar - Save the Date.
This is to inform you that we will be holding our annual seminar on School District Elections for all Superintendents, Administrators, Board of Education members and District Clerks who would like to attend. Topics to be covered will include pertinent dates for the 2017 annual district election, legal notice requirements, submission of propositions, voter qualifications, absentee and affidavit ballots, campaigning and electioneering, budget issues, recent Commissioner's decisions and other quirky election-related items.
In this installment of the Attorney’s Corner, we review some of the more peculiar SRO decisions issued so far this calendar year, as well as provide an update on two recent matters presently before the U.S. Supreme Court.
This client memorandum provides additional information regarding the Cold War Veterans school tax exemption and the procedures to be followed for holding public hearings. We have also attached a chart showing the range of maximum exemption limits which may be adopted by school boards and a model resolution for authorizing the exemption.
Electronic Notice Under the Open Meetings Law.
This client memorandum provides information about a recent law that allows school districts to expand school property tax exemptions to Cold War veterans. Previously, only veterans who served during certain designated military conflicts were eligible for a school property tax exemption, if authorized by the local school board in accordance with the Real Property Tax Law ("RPTL"). Effective August 19, 2016, RPTL §458-b was amended to allow school districts to offer a real property tax exemption to Cold War veterans as well.
This memorandum provides information about an amendment to the Open Meetings Law(“OML”) regarding the provision of public notice of school board meetings. As you know, whenever a public meeting has been scheduled more than one week in advance, notice of the meeting must be given to the news media and posted conspicuously in one or more designated public locations at least 72 hours before the meeting. For any meeting that has been scheduled less than one week in advance, public notice must be given to the news media “to the extent practicable,” and posted conspicuously within a “reasonable amount of time” prior to the meeting. Public Officers Law §104(2). When videoconferencing will be used, the public notice must state as much, identify the locations for the meeting, and state that the public has the right to attend the meeting at any of the locations. Id., §104(4).
U.S. Department of Education and White House Guidance Regarding Sexual Assault in Schools.
Last week, we issued a memorandum advising our clients that the United States Department of Education (“DOE”) and the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault (“Task Force”) released guidance documents highlighting issues for school districts to consider when developing sexual misconduct policies. In our memorandum, we recommended that you revisit your sexual harassment policies to ensure that they comply with intent and spirit of this new guidance, and indicated that we would follow-up with a sample policy.
This is to advise you that the United States Department of Education (“DOE”) and the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault (“Task Force”) recently released guidance documents highlighting issues for school districts to consider when developing sexual misconduct policies, and reminding districts of their responsibilities and obligations under existing federal law.
This is a follow-up to our June 29, 2016 client memorandum which provided information about a new law requiring school districts to test their potable water systems periodically for lead contamination. See Public Health Law §1110; Education Law §§3602 and §1950. While the new law does not go into effect until December 5, 2016, the State Department of Health (“DOH”) recently issued implementing regulations on September 6, 2016 that are effective immediately. Set forth below is an overview of the new regulations, including their fast-approaching compliance deadlines.
The followsing is intended to provide an outline of pertinent election dates for the May 16, 2017 Annual Election and Budget Vote. Please note that we will host our annual election workshop in mid January, at which time we will address all elements of the school district election process, review the latest decisions of the Commissioner, and answer any all questions you may have. We will notify you of the date and time of the workshop in early December. In the meantime, please review the following and let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
In our August 25, 2016 update we advised that we and counsel for the other school district parties had asked for the date of a previously scheduled conference with the Court to be advanced. We did this in light of recent information that LIPA and the County wished to modify certain provisions of the approved settlement agreement. Our request was granted and we met with Justice Marano and opposing counsel yesterday and today.
As you will recall, in late June we advised all of our Districts that a settlement of the LIPA litigation had reached and the terms of the settlement agreement worked out with all counsel and with the Court's imprimatur. By the middle of July all 55 school district parties had formally approved that settlement agreement. The attorneys for LIPA, Nassau County, and PSEG LI were thereafter provided with documentation of that fact.
This is to inform you two important Dear Colleague letters recently issued by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) regarding: (1) the obligation of school districts to provide students diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with equal educational opportunities under Section 504: and (2) the requirement that school districts provide positive behavioral supports to students with disabilities.
This memorandum provides information about changes to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (“McKinney-Vento”) that will be made by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (“ESSA”). Effective October 1, 2016, ESSA will expand transportation requirements for formerly homeless students, enhance access to preschool, and implement privacy protections for students who are experiencing homelessness, among other things.
Frazer & Feldman is proud to announce that Jack and Florence have been recognized by New York Magazine as Legal Leaders-New York Area's Top Rated Lawyers of 2015 in the fields of education, labor and employment law. The recognition is based upon their having achieved the peer reviewed rating of "AV Preeminent" by Martindale Hubbell, the company that has set the standard for lawyer ratings. The AV Preeminent rating is a significant accomplishment and demonstrates that a lawyer's peers have ranked him/her at the highest level of professional excellence.
New APPR Laws under the "Education Transformation Act of 2015"
New Tenure Laws under the "Education Transformation Act of 2015"
This memorandum provides information on recent federal guidance regarding English Language Learners ("ELLs").
This memorandum provides you with information contained in a recent New York State Education Department ("SED") Special Education Field Advisory containing the role of the Committee on Special Education in Relation to the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards ("Common Core").
On July 1, 2014, Education Law §8800 et seq. went into effect and created a new state credential for applied behavior analysis (ABA) providers. The credential permits providers with the necessary academic and training requirements to provide ABA services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in home and community settings.
In accordance with Education Law §§2002(1) and 2022(1), your next Annual Meeting and Election is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2005, at which time your district's budget for the 2015-2015 school year will be voted on and candidates elected for positions on the Board of Education.
As you may be aware, as part of the Common Core Implementation Reform Act Education Law Section 2-d was adopted to insure the protection of student data. On July 29, 2014, the New York State Education Department ("SED") issued guidance regarding certain provisions of Education Law Section 2-d that school districts should be aware of.
Last summer, we distributed a memorandum about a Supreme Court ruling denying a request to review a Second Circuit Court of Appeals ("Second Circuit" or "the Court") decision in a case with a significant impact on Individualized Education Program ("IEP") development.
The State Education Department ("SED") has released a Q&A document concerning the amendments to the Regulations concerning Impartial Hearing Procedures.
(3) new laws seeking to protect the privacy of student data (pps. 8-11).
Download General Guidelines for Applying the "Look-Back Measurement Method"
Health Care Reform, Part VI: Applying the "Look-Back Measurement Method"
Health Care Reform, Part III: What Type of Coverage is Required?
Health Care Reform, Part II: Which Employers and Employees are Covered?
Several of our clients have inquired recently about whether parents have the right to approve certain IEP services and reject others.
This memorandum is to remind you of each school district's responsibilities with respect to the Dignity Act Coordinator ("DAC") as required by the "Dignity For All Students Act" ("DASA").
For more information on how to access our client memoranda and documents, please contact	info@ffedlaw.com.

References: §100
 v. 
 §458
 §104
 §104
 §1110
 §1950
 §8800