The Property Tax Relief Task Force has released its draft report to the Governor and General Assembly. In its report, the Property Tax Relief Task Force provides an introduction to property taxes generally, as well as a primer on the property tax cycle in Illinois. The report then describes the Property Tax Relief Task Force’s [...]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education have issued a December 2019 update to their “Joint Guidance on the Application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to Student Health Records” (the “Joint Guidance”). The Joint [...]
The 2019 IASB/IASA/IASBO Annual Conference kicks off this Friday in Chicago. There are several opportunities to connect with Whitt Law attorneys. On Friday, Whitt Law will host its annual reception at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. This is a great opportunity to connect with our clients, associates, and others whose work impacts school districts. This year, [...]
The Illinois Human Rights Act (the “Act”), 775 ILCS 5/1-101 et seq., is intended to secure for all individuals: freedom from unlawful discrimination; freedom from sexual harassment in employment and education; and public health, welfare, and safety; as well as to implement constitutional guarantees, to establish equal opportunity and affirmative action policies, and to protect [...]
Communicating and Investigating Allegations of Employee Misconduct - School Districts Have Discretion But Walk a Fine Line Whitt Law attorney Brian R. Bare was recently interviewed by the NPR station in Bloomington-Normal regarding school district investigations of employee misconduct and the tenured teacher dismissal process. Parents in that area are reacting to news that a [...]
Recently, Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 2719 into law, now Public Act 101-0180 (the “Act”). The Act creates Section 22-85 of the School Code. Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the Act requires, as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma from a public high school, the parent or guardian of each student (or [...]
School districts throughout the Illinois are gearing up for the return of students and the start of a new school year. Although August signals the end of what is summer break for some; for others, the summer months are an opportunity to dig deeper into continuing education, catch up on legal and industry development, and [...]
Section 10-19 of the School Code requires school board to annually prepare a calendar for the school term, specifying the opening and closing dates and providing a minimum term of at least 185 days, to ensure 176 days of actual pupil attendance. Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 28, now Public Act 101-0012, into law on [...]
The Prevailing Wage Act governs the rights and responsibilities of the Illinois Department of Labor, public bodies, and contractors as it relates to the wages paid to any workers employed in performing any public works by any public body. (820 ILCS 130/1 et seq.) Recent amendments to the Prevailing Wage Act became effective June 1, [...]
Today, the State of Illinois issued the following press release regarding a new online portal launched by the Illinois Department of Revenue. "Illinois DOR Launches Online Portal to Better Serve Local Governments MyLocalTax Brings More Transparency and Efficiency to Agency Operations CHICAGO – Local governments across Illinois now have financial information at their fingertips thanks [...]