Newsroom Article

Pool Counsel Quarterly Lookback: See what you missed!

A roundup of topics covered recently as part of the firm’s subscriber-based service.

Posted on in Press Releases and Announcements

Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams LLP is proud to offer a unique subscription-based service entitled "Pool Counsel" to school entities.

With this service, members are pooled on the email distribution of on-demand answers to various operational questions from subscribers in the areas of Special Education and Technology. Here are some topics covered recently:

A district shares a copy of the Pennsylvania School Board Association policy on students experiencing homelessness, foster care and other educational instability...and it contains a whopper of a statement.

Some observations on the forms released recently by the PA Department of Education for use in the reevaluation process.

Some thoughts - and a decision-making flow chart - for when students face disruption in their learning.

As parents increasingly use ride share services when a student must leave school due to illness, is there a recommended procedure or process that is appropriate to follow to ensure the safety of the child?

What do the most recent developments in B.P.J. v. West Virginia mean for schools in Pennsylvania?

When is the use of waivers for reevaluation the most practical and sensible?

A school district considering revision of homeschool policies and procedures in light of the expansion of Act 55 has a number of questions on how to interpret and implement those changes.

With the background of national media coverage about book challenges and parental rights, a subscriber asks about parent access to electronic data about library circulation records.

The United States Supreme Court has issued a ruling in Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools...and overturned years of IDEA precedent.

Direction on the use and storage of threat assessment forms, as well as the rights of potential victims.

Can public school staff seize a student's personal belongings, such as a cell phone?

A district seeks clarification on the ability of school nurses to develop and manage Section 504 plans.

With Act 151 set to take effect May 1, 2023, Pool Counsel shares an updated model Data Security Policy for educational entities who store data on behalf of the commonwealth.

Pool Counsel shares some legal issues that educational institutions may want to keep on the radar related to the introduction and rapid growth of publicly available artificial intelligence applications.

What information must school districts and IUs publicly disclose for security-related board motions?

The firm shares some thoughts, risks, and considerations for serving students in private residential rehabilitative institutions.

The firm offers an interpretation of this newly released decision.

Should a diploma be held until all compensatory services are delivered?

How are specific learning disabilities ruled out (or in) for students that are homeschooled, then enrolled in public school?

Benefits of the Pool Counsel service include not only the ability to ask questions 24/7, but also an electronic “Resource Room,” where members can log in to access the full library of all past Pool Counsel answers, searchable by topic and archived by year

To learn more, contact Andy Faust (Special Education) or Mark Cheramie Walz (Technology) or call 215-345-9111.