LM Nov-Dec 2025

Legal Corner

Chad Watkins IASA Associate Director/General Counsel

To help school leaders navigate uncertain times, IASA has partnered with leading law firms throughout Illinois to provide districts with critical guidance during the 2025–26 school year. In Leadership Matters , the IASA Legal Corner will showcase an article 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.

In this issue, we share an update from Walt Zukowski with Zukowski Law Offices. The article is titled Seventh Circuit Refines Scope of Free Speech Rights of Public Employees. As a reminder, IASA Legal Corner 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.

Seventh Circuit Refines Scope of Free Speech Rights of Public Employees By Walt Zukowski, Zukowski Law Offices

In Hedgepeth v. Britton (7th Cir., August 26, 2025) the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld the termination of a high school teacher who posted inflammatory content on her personal social media accounts. The case demonstrates that while public employees do retain a wide degree of latitude regarding social media postings, there can be circumstances where they “cross the line” and place their employment in jeopardy. The employee in question had been suspended by the school for “disruptive behavior” that she had engaged in at school on two previous occasions, and was subject to a remediation plan at the time of the incident. She nonetheless responded to news regarding the George Floyd protests in 2020 with inflammatory remarks on social media, which were viewed by previous students and which quickly caused an uproar at the school. Continue reading …

19 LM Nov–Dec 2025