Each year, the Education Law and Policy Institute hosts an Education Law Year in Review to highlight the year’s most important developments in the area of education law and policy in K-12 schools. This year brought a new virtual format, which allowed participation from practitioners and students across the country.
Held in June, the discussion anticipated how COVID-19 might impact the upcoming school year. Panelists focused on a spectrum of pandemic effects, including scheduling instructional time, addressing the mental health and social-emotional needs of students and educators, and how to make up for instruction and services disruptions.
The Review also summarized major legislative developments and agency guidance related to education over the past year. Along with an overview of the 2020 state legislative session and a discussion of seclusion and restraint, COVID-related topics included remote learning, transition, and special education. This session featured ISBE’s General Counsel and Executive Director of Legislative Affairs.
Michael Kaufman, Dean of Loyola University Chicago School of Law; Malik Henfield, Dean of Loyola University Chicago School of Education; and Harold Jordan, Senior Policy Advocate at the ACLU of Pennsylvania speak on the need for educational equity.
The afternoon concluded with a call to the urgency of educational equity. Featured speakers included Malik Henfield, Dean of Loyola’s School of Education, and Harold Jordan, of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. The speakers encouraged the development of anti-racist schools and communities. Attendees learned practical steps toward implementing anti-racist school climates, such as reforming school discipline practices and adding mental health supports.
Recordings of these sessions are available here.
