Legal Notices & Articles

Missouri NEA helps you stay informed of changing laws and policies that may affect you and your job. The articles below were written with MNEA members in mind by the MNEA Associate General Counsel. Many can also be found published in the MNEA magazine Something Better

[Jefferson City, MO]—Senate Bill 727 (SB 727) expands unaccountable charters and doubles down on vouchers that benefit the wealthy few, undermining the quality and accessibility of education for the 91% of students who attend local public schools.
By Dan Bryar, MNEA general counsel and chief human resource officer In December 2022, two pieces of legislation became federal law: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Providing Urgent Maternal...
By Daniel Bryar, MNEA General Counsel Despite the passage of multiple legalization measures, possessing marijuana or being under the influence of marijuana in connection to your employment can still...
By Daniel Bryar, MNEA General Counsel Something Better magazine, winter 2022 Often, we turn on the news and learn about a data breach somewhere in the world, and that inevitably causes individuals...
By Vincenzo Iuppa, MNEA Associate General Counsel Something Better magazine, fall 2022 The Missouri Open Records Act, often referred to as the Sunshine Act, is Missouri’s attempt to ensure that...
By Vincenzo Iuppa, MNEA Associate General Counsel Something Better magazine, summer 2022 It is natural for education employees to believe that their district is responsible for maintaining all the...
Workers’ compensation protections are some of the most important laws for helping people who are injured or have contracted an occupational illness at work. If an injury or illness is covered by...
Public education employees planning a family can rely on a number of legal protections to help them try to balance their work and their personal life. The Family Medical Leave Act provides protected...
by Vincenzo Iuppa , MNEA associate general counsel Public education employees planning a family can rely on a number of legal protections to help them try to balance their work and their personal life...
The school year is so hectic that public education employees do not have a lot of time to focus on their general overall legal health. However, when public education employees are able to find time...
With the new availability of vaccines, it seems like we can finally begin to see an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has gripped our country for more than a year. That ray of hope, however, raises...
One of the biggest benefits of working in public education in Missouri is the stellar retirement benefits that you accrue working for public schools. For school districts outside of the Kansas City...
The American’s With Disabilities Act is the federal statute that protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination based on their health status. The ADA also allows people with disabilities...
In one of the first pieces of legislation passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Congress created two new types of leave for individuals who are dealing with COVID-19-related issues...
The Children’s Division is the Missouri state agency that is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect. Public education employees often end up interacting with the Children...
Part of the changes to a law created by the Affordable Care Act (also known as “Obamacare”) was an extension of the protections and rights provided to pregnant and nursing women. In order to create...
As the school year begins, the Missouri NEA Legal Department gets many calls concerning the duty to report child abuse and neglect. Additionally, changes to the Missouri statute have created a...
The Missouri Safe Schools Act (Missouri Revised Statutes § 160.261) attempts to standardize the response of school districts across the state to acts of violence committed by students. The Act...
It is an unfortunate fact of your profession: education employees face many potential complaints and investigations. These potential complaints include everything from allegations of physical and...
Is your New Year’s resolution to become more organized? If so, why not start with your professional records? Whether you’re a teacher, bus driver, school nurse, paraprofessional, or other education...