21247 LM Jan2022

LegalCorner

Chad Watkins IASA Associate Director/General Counsel

This month, Himes, Petrarca & Fester CHTD writes about a legal decision regarding a school district’s ability to regulate student speech that occurs off-campus. The author is Courtney Stillman . As a reminder, the articles are provided for informational purposes only, and you are advised to contact your district counsel for legal advice. Click on the link below to access the article.

To help school leaders navigate these uncertain times, IASA has partnered with leading law firms throughout Illinois to provide districts with critical guidance during the 2021–22 school year. In every issue of Leadership Matters, the IASA Legal Corner will showcase an article, sometimes several articles, written by attorneys who specialize in legal matters related to education. It is our hope you find the content insightful, timely and helpful in addressing the critical matters you face.

Lessons FromOxford High School: Addressing Student Threats

Parents of a student injured in the Oxford High School shooting have filed a federal lawsuit asserting that Oxford High School administrators, counselors and teachers were deliberately indifferent and violated their children’s Fourteenth Amendment right to be free from danger created or increased by the School. The Complaint presents horrific allegations: • In early November, 2021, Ethan Crumbley posted countdowns and death threats on his publicly available

social media accounts. On November 16, 2021, concerned parents provided these threats to the high school principal. High school administrators not only ignored the social media threats but warned parents and students not to rely upon or spread the information. Administration reiterated that the school community was safe. On November 26, 2021, Ethan posted a picture of the gun his parents had

purchased for him..... (continue reading)...

13 LM January 2022