Lots of stuff this week, so let's get started:
The administrator retirement caps issue in New Jersey hits formal hearings. If I were school administrators, I would watch this closely as this could be a "coming soon to a state near you" kind of issue.
Painful layoffs in Dallas. They are also fighting over evolution in Texas ... still. And worried about finding ways to teach the Bible. Ahh, Texas, it's like a whole 'nother country.
There is a bi-lingual bill on the Oregon ballot this time that would limit bi-lingual instruction to 2 years. After that English only.
Some pushback on attendance, special education and NCLB passage rates. This was a nice story and it was on page A1 of the Washington Post ... Kudos, folks.
A 45 year school desegregation case in Macon, GA finally comes to a close. They won't know what to do without it.
Another defamation case ... this time against a teacher union's political activities in getting a state senator with ethical issues kicked out.
The voucher fight in Utah continues (you can pretty much book a snippet about this every week)... please, someone write a book about this.
New Hampshire school funding suit is dismissed by their Supreme Court as moot.
And h/t Scott McLeod: No teacher tattoos in Joplin, MO.
Around the Ed. Law Blogosphere:
Jim Gerl finally gets something out of the candidates ... although not much.
Mark Walsh has his story on the AEI/Fordham legal history of education forum. It sounds really cool and I wish I could have gone. They said they would put the video up, but I have not seen it yet. If I do, I will post it.
Mark has a nice detailed post on the immunity issue in front of the Court now.
Title IX blog has a concerning Georgia teacher harassment case.
Couldn't agree more with Charles Fox on the political symbol that is Trig Palin.
The Connecticut Ed. Law Blog has a good point that the ADA amendments may require changes to 504 forms as well.
Stanley Fish, Sherman Dorn, Andrew Rotherham, & Joanne Jacobs weigh in on the NY political speech controversy. If that case was all about making a widely distributed political statement ... mission accomplished.
For your Friday Fun: Last weekend I made applebutter (and like I said last week, I burned my hand). Anyway lots of people in my office this week wanted to know about how you made it, so here is a good video from Southern Illinois about our traditions and how we made it (we cooked ours in the kettle but started with whole apples instead of boiling down the day before). We made 150 quarts of applebutter last weekend and only I was injured ... so that's pretty good.
Photocredit: Mommylolly