My kids go to an amazing school. Part of what makes it amazing is that beginning in third grade the second parent-teacher conference is student led. Last night, my wife and I experienced our first Norah-led conference.
The conference blew me away. I knew that Norah would be presenting her PowerPoint on Neptune, the culmination of weeks of research and hard work. I was not prepared, however, for the conference to be 100% student led. My wife and I watched and listened for nearly 45 minutes as, working off a prepared agenda, Norah ran the meeting and walked us through all she’s done for the past four months. She presented a dramatic monologue. She shared a story she had written in her creative writing journal. She demonstrated how she’s learned 3x2 multiplication. She displayed her self-assessed progress report (she’s much tougher on herself than her teacher would have been). The conference capped with Norah’s Neptune PowerPoint, which, with her permission, I’m sharing with you.
Here’s the rest of what I read this week:
Discrimination
- Can Your Severance Agreements Withstand an EEOC Challenge? — via The Emplawyerologist
- Walmart Settles EEOC Age, Disability Discrimination Suit for $150K — via In House
- Is retaliation such a big deal? — via Mike Haberman’s Omega HR Solutions
- Cabbie’s Fear of Dogs Doesn’t Trump Requirement to Allow Service Dogs — via Dan Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- Is Non-Pregnancy a BFOQ for Exotic Dancers? — via Phil Miles’s Lawffice Space
Social Media & Workplace Technology
- The Apple Watch is coming: Do you have a Wear Your Own Device (“WYOD”) policy? — via Employer Advocate
- Legal Ethics and Social Media: What Pre-Litigation Advice May an Attorney Provide to His or Her Client? — via Above the Law
- A social media lesson to share with your workforce — via Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
HR & Employee Relations
- Should an employer fight unemployment? The debate continues… — via Robin Shea’s Employment & Labor Insider
- 3 Facts about Measles and the Workplace — via ERC Insights Blog
- Litigation Update: Transportation Firm Served With FCRA Class Action — via employeescreenIQ Blog
- Ten Actions You Can Take Now to Protect Your Company’s Trade Secrets – Action Eight: Make the Most of the Exit Interview — via netWORKed Lawyers
- What Counts As An Appropriate Workplace Hug? — via Evil Skippy at Work
- Why Workplace Accidents Tend to Happen Late in a Project — via Harvard Business Review
Wage & Hour
- Can the Employer Legally Cut an Employee’s Pay? — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
- When Do Bonuses Get Included In Non-Exempts’ Regular Rate for OT Calculations? — via Wage & Hour - Development & Highlights
- “Rises In The Minimum Wage Really Do Destroy Jobs” — via Walter Olson’s Overlawyered
- Eleventh Circuit Rules That Employer Cannot Assert Worker Misconduct Equitable Defenses in FLSA Unpaid Overtime Claim Where Employer Knew Employee was Under-reporting Time — via Employment Matters Blog
- Defendant Barred from Unilateral Meetings With Putative Class Members Outside of Formal Discovery Process, Absent Detailed Disclosures to Alleviate Concerns re Chilled Participation and/or Retaliation — via Overtime Law Blog
- Exemption Changes: A Possible "Plan B" For Retailers — via Wage and Hour Laws Blog
- Recovers $240 Million for More Than 270,000 Workers — via The Wage and Hour Litigation Blog
Labor Relations
- NLRB Ambush Election Rule Weakens Worker Privacy — via Labor Relations Institute
- Teamsters “Liking” First Labor Contract for Facebook Drivers — via All in a Day’s Work
- ERISA at 40: A Time to Assess Multiemployer Defined Benefit Pension Plans — via Management Memo
- NFIB Files Amicus Brief Ripping NLRB Facebook Ruling — via Labor Relations Today