First Look at Executive Order #214

To Our School Board Community: On January 11, 2021, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 214 regarding the implementation of new policies for the 2020-2021 school year. Specifically, the Executive Order implements the following: The statutory graduation proficiency test requirement mandated by N.J.S.A. 18A:7C-2 et seq. is waived for seniors who have not yet met […]

Cooper Levenson Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – January 5 , 2021 -Cooper Levenson Foundation, Inc. is offering college scholarship grants to high school seniors residing in the firm’s practice areas, including Atlantic, Cape May and Camden Counties in New Jersey. Candidates must demonstrate academic excellence, active involvement as a volunteer, and financial need, and must be planning to enroll as a […]

Amy Houck Elco authors article in School Leader Magazine

Cooper Levenson Partner Amy Houck Elco recently authored an article for the official publication of the New Jersey School Boards Association, School Leader Magazine. Her article, entitled “Navigating Special Education Rights During COVID-19” discusses the distinct challenges that the pandemic school closures present for special education students. The article appeared in the publication’s Nov/Dec 2020 […]

Governor Clarifies in Executive Order No. 196 that BOE Meetings are Legislative Proceedings NOT Subject to Restrictions on Gatherings

To Our School Board Community: The Governor issued Executive Order 196 on November 16, 2020. The Executive Order tightened up restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings. However, notably, after much debate in the legal community, Executive Order 196 clarifies that Local Boards of Education meetings are local legislative proceedings, and are not subject to the capacity […]

Dec. 1 Deadline: Cooper Levenson Holiday Card Art Contest 2020 Edition

Cooper Levenson is proud to announce a Holiday Card Art Contest, open to students in grades 1 – 8. The prizes are a $50 gift card to the winning student (to use however they like), and a $100 gift card to the winning student’s art teacher, to be used for art supplies, a class party, […]

New DCA issued OPMA Regulations to Consider Before Your Next Meeting

To Our School Board Community: We have been trying to anticipate and quickly respond to your questions during this time, given the unprecedented challenges presented to our Boards related to COVID-19 school closures. In March, the New Jersey Legislature amended the Open Public Meetings Act (“OPMA”), to include various relaxations as a result of COVID-19. […]

Join us at the 2020 NJSBA Virtual Workshop

Click here to join us at the 2020 NJSBA Virtual Workshop  Log in and enter the exhibit floor lobby between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday October 20, 21, and 22. Click “Enter Here” to visit the lobby and type “Cooper Levenson” into the “Search for a Booth” bar.  We can chat […]

Executive Order No. 187 Guidance

To Our School Board Community: On October 12, 2020, the Governor of New Jersey issued Executive Order No. 187, which allows indoor practices and competitions to resume. Specifically, EO 187 applies to “no-contact practices, contact practices, and competitions for sports defined as low risk, medium risk, and high risk.” A list of permissible activities is […]

COVID-19 Halloween Guidance

To Our School Board Community: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect that Halloween will look quite different this year. In anticipation of the upcoming holiday, New Jersey has issued Halloween Celebration Guidance with recommendations on how to safely celebrate. Notable recommendations include: OUTDOOR TRICK-OR-TREATING: If you plan to trick-or-treat, you should limit your group […]

School COVID-19 Dashboard

To Our School Board Community: We have been trying to anticipate and quickly respond to your questions during this time, given the unprecedented challenges presented to our Boards related to COVID-19. We wanted to bring to your attention a new data set on the New Jersey State Website COVID-19 Dashboard. The State is now reporting […]