In September of 2011, this column focused on the case of a nine-year-old girl who’d allegedly been sexually abused when an adult who should have been forbidden by school policy from retrieving her from class was permitted to do so on six different occasions. At that time, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court [...]
Did school district have a duty to protect student from off-campus violence?
May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
What to Wear to the Prom?
April 13, 2012 By
By Waller Starky As someone who never danced at a prom or briefed a case in law school, I feel singularly qualified to comment on Haley Turner’s excellent article in this month’s Texas School Administrators’ Legal Digest, which offers loads of insight on recent legal trends in gender stereotype issues at proms. I’m just gonna [...]
Court Approves Settlement in High Profile Religion Case Over Student Speech at Graduation
March 5, 2012 By
“This was the first time that I have experienced a federal judge offering a personal statement to the attorneys—especially a blessing,” remarked D. Craig Wood of a case that attracted searing national controversy and ended recently in amicable settlement. Wood, an attorney with the San Antonio office of Walsh, Anderson, Gallegos, Green & Treviño, was [...]
A School Attorney’s Perspective On Handling Special Education Disputes
January 30, 2012 By
After nearly three full years on the job as an attorney in the San Antonio office of Austin’s Walsh, Anderson, Gallegos, Green & Treviño, Eric Rodriguez has learned a thing or two about the high-spirited and frequently litigious culture of special education school law. Fortunately, Eric is happy to share some observations. Himself a product [...]
Commissioner Decision Addresses Reductions In Force And Program Changes
January 5, 2012 By
A recent decision by the Commissioner of Education has implications for schools all across the state dealing with financial exigency, program changes, and the reductions in force (RIF) they may necessitate. The case, Butler v. Buna ISD, featured a long-time P.E. teacher (Belinda Kay Butler) who’d had her term contract nonrenewed when the Buna Independent [...]
