In December, 2014, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted proposed amendments to the state’s Physical Restraint Regulations (603 CMR 46.00). A central theme of the amended regulations is that physical restraint should only be used in an emergency and as a last resort, except when a student’s behavior poses a threat of [...]
On June 1, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court decided EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc., and held, 8-1, that Title VII prohibits employers from refusing to hire an applicant in order to avoid accommodating a religious practice that could be accommodated without undue hardship. The case was brought by Ms. Samantha Elauf, a Muslim [...]
On January 8, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”), in conjunction with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), released its first-ever federal policy guidance addressing discipline in elementary and secondary schools.
Governor Patrick signed into law “An Act Relative to Gender Identity,” which amends M.G.L. c. 76, § 5 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity of students who enroll in or attend public schools.