The start of a new year is a time of reflection. In Private School News, we’ve written about everything from tuition remission to communicating with your IT department—and we’ll be sure to cover more hot topics in the year to come. Before we move on, though, let’s look back to articles from our top-read e-Letters in 2014.

Drinking and driving is illegal, but drinking and emailing is not. Even if perfectly legal, the mix of impaired judgment and instant communication isn't one we'd recommend. According to a new study, though, there’s more than a few parents out there who do just that to their private school’s teachers and administrators.

Now that you've returned from a well-deserved winter break, you must ensure your school is ready for the 2015 requirements as outlined in the Affordable Care Act.

A Georgia appellate court has ruled that parents may be held liable for what their children post on social media accounts. During the year-long debacle, a school became involved—but by following the school’s policies, the principal kept her school’s community out of the lawsuit, mentioned only as a byline.

Q: I heard that the deadline to pay for a policy purchased on the exchange was December 15. With the holidays, I missed my first payment, so what can I do now?

Only one in 10 schools teaches students how to code—at least, according to Code.org, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding computer science’s prominence in the classroom until it’s as fundamental a subject as math or reading. In celebration of Computer Science Education Week, Code.org introduced the basics of JavaScript, a common programming language, to millions of students around the world with their “Hour of Code” tutorials for “ages 4 to 104”—and private schools got in on the action.

January 1st has come and gone, but it’s never too late to turn over a new leaf! We’ve developed this list of resolutions for you to commit to over the coming year.

The holiday season is also the start of nasty winter weather warnings. Fifty percent of the country has already seen its first taste of snow, ice, and flooding, and predictions are calling for another active season. Here are some tips and guidelines for preparing your school for the months ahead.

Just as we posted an article claiming gun violence was on a decline, another school shooting rattled news media and saddened viewers' hearts around the nation. On October 24, 2014, Jaylen Fryberg sent text messages to friends (including two cousins who were also students) inviting them to join him for lunch in the Marysville–Pilchunck High School cafeteria in Washington State. Sitting together, Fryberg opened fire on his friends with a .40-caliber Beretta handgun that belonged to a family member before turning the gun on himself.

Q: We’re preparing an updated Risk Management plan for 2015. Our committee has really done some great work thus far, seemingly engaged with the task. However, they’ve reached a tricky segment defining and revising the Vendor section. They reached out to me for insight as I’m the Business Manager and can at least provide them with a list of different vendors we have relationships with. But, I’m curious, what should be in a contract when using vendors? What should I be looking for when they propose it for approval?