Dear Readers of The Extra Mile:

Welcome back from a beautiful Fourth of July weekend. This past month has been an unusually busy one, with the school year wrapping up, the Supreme Court issuing a highly anticipated student speech case, and a steady slew of bills being sent to the Governor daily.

Before getting into this month's content, we want to highlight two upcoming installments of our summer webinar series. The first is tomorrow, July 7, at 11:30 AM and will feature a panel of Hodges Loizzi attorneys for a discussion of the implications of the Supreme Court's Mahanoy cheerleader case. If you haven't registered yet, do so now...you won't want to miss it.

The second webinar is July 28 at 12:00 PM. Titled "Background Checks and More…Key Legislative Updates in Labor/Personnel," this session will feature a panel of Labor/Personnel attorneys as they walk through a few of the most important pieces of legislation in the school HR world. Registration is open, so sign up now!

We also are pleased to announce the dates for our annual Fall Seminar event, "The Year in Review: The Highlights and Lowlights of Illinois School Law." The event will be held October 5 in Peoria, October 14 in Collinsville, and October 21 in Oak Brook. Save the date now, and watch for emails with registration details in the weeks ahead.

In this month’s edition of The Extra Mile, we highlight legislation amending the Illinois Human Rights Act, isolated time out/physical restraint legislation, litigation over mandatory vaccination policies, the latest Title IX "Dear Educator" letter, and--for those who missed it--a summary of the Mahanoy cheerleader case that will be the subject of tomorrow's webinar.

In preparation for the new school year, many districts are reviewing their hiring procedures. Before following your usual procedures, however, consider some recent amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act, which extend certain protections to individuals with a record of criminal convictions. Read more

A bill amending the Illinois School Code regarding the use of isolated timeout, timeout, and physical restraint interventions in public schools has passed both houses. The amendment adds additional oversight, requirements, and restrictions to the use of these interventions, with the stated purpose of a systematic reduction and eventual elimination of both isolated timeout and physical restraint interventions within the next three years. Read more

A Texas federal court upheld Houston Methodist Hospital’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy and rejected arguments that the policy required employees to participate in a “clinical trial” or that it violated public policy or federal law. Read more

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a Dear Educator Letter in which it affirmed its position that the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County applies to school districts receiving Federal financial assistance and that OCR will enforce Title IX to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Read more

In a much-anticipated decision, the Supreme Court ruled that a school district could not discipline a cheerleader for her off-campus Snapchat posts in which she expressed frustration with the school following cheerleading tryouts. Read more

"Students’ Free Speech Rights at the Supreme Court: Legal and Practical Implications for Schools Post-Mahanoy" Webinar. Join Michelle Todd, Jen Deutch, Jessica Nguyen, Kaitlin Atlas, and Aimee LeBlanc as they analyze the impact of the Supreme Court's recent off-campus student speech decision tomorrow, July 7, at 11:30 a.m. Click here to learn more and register.

"Background Checks and More…Key Legislative Updates in Labor/Personnel" Webinar. Join Cindi DeCola, Tina Christofalos, Barb Erickson, and more as they discuss key HR legislation from the most recent legislative session on July 28 at 12:00 p.m. Click here to register.

"The Year in Review: The Highlights and Lowlights of Illinois School Law" Seminar. You won't want to miss this annual event, in which attorneys from the firm cover all the most important legal updates from the past year. The event will be held October 5 in Peoria, October 14 in Collinsville, and October 21 in Oak Brook. Registration details will be coming soon.

A School Board Member's Handbook. Order your copy of the 2021 Revised Handbook, a guide for school board members and administrators alike, filled with easily understandable summaries of the major laws affecting Illinois public schools. Click here to place your order.