All past PACE News can be viewed here.
Author: Emily Welborn
Title IX updates go into effect Aug. 1 in Oregon; webinars are available on cyber threats and protecting student and staff privacy
PACE highlight
School leaders must stay current on students’ federal rights, and the government is offering resources to help.
The U.S. Education Department will begin enforcing Aug. 1 updated Title IX rules that create a more uniform grievance process and add protections for LGBTQ+ students and staff. Oregon is not one of the 26 states that have challenged the rules or had them put on hold by the courts. The Education Department has created an overview.
The Education Department’s Student Privacy Policy Office will hold a one-hour webinar Wednesday, July 31, to give teachers, administrators and school staff tips on recognizing cyber threats and protecting the information of students and staff.
The office will also hold a three-day webinar series in August with more information on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act:
2024 PACE Annual Report
2024 PACE Annual Report
Dear PACE Members,
As we conclude another successful year, I am pleased to present to you the annual report of our
association’s activities, financial status and achievements, with a special focus on our public insurance
pooling initiatives.
PACE legal resource on changes to family leave
PACE legal resource on changes to family leave
The Oregon legislature’s recent changes to the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and paid family medical leave insurance (“Paid Leave Oregon”) begin to take effect July 1, 2024. Senate Bill 1515 significantly altered the qualifying reasons employees may use OFLA leave and in many cases reduce the likelihood of employees using OFLA leave and Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) consecutively, or “stacking” leaves.
Some of the key changes include:
- OFLA leave will no longer be available for an employee’s serious health condition or parental leave;
- Only four weeks of OFLA leave may be used for bereavement each leave year;
- OFLA leave may be used for an employee to care for their sick child who requires home care due to an illness, injury or condition regardless of whether caused by a serious health condition, and to care for a child whose school or place of care is closed due to a public health emergency; and
- After January 1, 2025, employees may use Paid Leave Oregon for leave related to adoption or placement of a foster child (up to two weeks of OFLA leave may be used for this purpose through 2024).
- The federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) remains unchanged. We recommend that you review your procedures related to leaves to ensure you are handling leaves appropriately after these changes take effect.
To help our members prepare for and navigate these changes, PACE Legal has developed the resource linked below. You can also contact PACE Legal and the attorneys at OSBA will assist you with your questions about leave issues.
Ransomware- The Threat is Real
Controls and coverage are necessary to protect public entities from liability.
article by Lisa Hammond
“Cybercriminals have wreaked havoc on local governments in recent years, primarily through costly ransomware attacks. Ransomware is the fastest growing type of cybercrime, and because public entities are especially vulnerable, they continue to face the real and ever-increasing threat of this type of attack.”
Read entire article here.