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SB 1 Guarantees Teachers a Minimum 30 Minute Uninterrupted Lunch

By: Floyd J. Dugas, Esq.

In the waning hours of the recently concluded session, the Legislature added a provision to a bill on childhood mental health requiring that all certified staff having direct contact with students receive a minimum uninterrupted lunch of 30 minutes.  While legislation (C.G.S. §10-156a) already existed requiring that teachers be provided a duty free lunch, it […]

Governor Announces Plan to End Statewide Mask Mandate for Schools and Childcare Centers

By: Rebecca Goldberg

Governor Lamont announced a plan to end the statewide mask mandate for schools and childcare centers in Connecticut effective February 28, 2022.  The plan places the decision whether to require masks in schools and childcare centers with local authorities. With Governor Lamont’s emergency powers set to expire on February 15, 2022, the governor reached an […]

Governor’s Emergency Powers Extended

As anticipated, late Monday night, the State legislature extended Governor Lamont’s emergency powers by February 22, 2022. Yesterday, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 14, which extends the deadlines for several previous Orders, including the most recent ones dealing with mandatory vaccines for certain health care workers, state employees, school employees, and those working in […]

Executive Order Extends Emergency Paid Sick Leave for School Employees

On February 4, Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 10, extending Emergency Paid Sick Leave for employees of local and regional boards of education in Connecticut.  This extension is only applicable to boards of education and not to private-sector or other municipal employers. The Executive Order extends the Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) available under the […]

Attorney Christine Sullivan Named Senior Partner

Berchem Moses PC is pleased to announce that effective January 1, 2021, Christine Sullivan has been elected as Senior Partner. “It is with great pride that we announce the promotion of Christine Sullivan to Senior Partner at Berchem Moses PC,” said Marsha Belman Moses, Named Senior Partner. “Christine is an amazing lawyer, both exceedingly competent […]

Breakthrough Reached On Trans Athletes

By Emily HayesPublished in the New Haven Independent on September 23, 2020 New Haven Public Schools and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights have come to a tentative agreement that would allow transgender athletes to continue to play on teams of their choice — without the city losing millions of federal dollars. […]

Federal funding threatened over transgender athlete policy

Attorney Michelle Laubin is quoted in a September 18, 2020 article by Luke Broadwater and Erica L. Green of The New York Times, regarding federal funding being threatened over transgender athlete policy. Read more at: https://nyti.ms/3c9i5Xa

Attorney Michelle Laubin to present CABE seminar on Special Education Issues

The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) will present a series of four virtual workshops covering legal issues facing educators. Seminars will be held throughout the fall of 2020.  On Tuesday, October 27, Attorney Michelle Laubin will discuss Special Education issues.  To register, visit https://bit.ly/3hpJzIW.

DOL Updates FFCRA Guidance (Again) as Schools Reopen

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Labor updated its guidance on emergency leave benefits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to address leave eligibility questions related to childcare issues presented as schools prepare to welcome students back (in some fashion).  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-questions As the start of the school year fast approaches, employers are being inundated […]

How to follow BIP protocols for restraint, seclusion during a pandemic

Reprinted with permission from: Special Ed Connection®. © 2020 LRP Publications, 360 Hiatt Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. All rights reserved. Students with behavioral issues may become agitated more easily upon the return to classrooms because of all the changes to their routine and school building. They may more quickly get to the point […]