A group Long Term Disability coverage policy is a powerful ally in your efforts to attract and keep the best faculty and staff. LTD is an essential component of your benefits package for two reasons—it protects employees' income, and it protects the school's fiscal health. When you examine your school's LTD plan, make sure you take the following points into consideration.

Earlier this month, President Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency. He gave permission to hospitals and local governments to set up alternative sites for treatment and triage procedures if needed to handle any surge of patients. What President Obama didn't address, however, was the shortage of vaccines available.  

Perhaps you've seen the new stories about Virginia's Fairfax County parents fighting for easier grading standards. In case you missed the headlines, here's what people are talking about.

Schools often bring up the issue of drug screening employees on ISM listservs. Since we won't interfere with their communications on that medium, we would like to take the opportunity to address this concern here—in our most popular e-letter.  

North Carolina is the latest state to make the news concerning teachers' civil rights. Teachers in Robbinsville, North Carolina, a small rural town in the midst of the Appalachian Mountains, are waiting for the court of appeals to determine if they will be required to submit to random drug and alcohol testing. It's been an idea for several years now, and teachers are eager to see how things turn out for them.

Your school may be experiencing the rather difficult situation of dealing with families that have recently fallen victim to our economy's hard times. Business Managers have been commenting back and forth on various listservs about what they should do with and about family requests to leave their school this late in the season.

Q: We're working with a very limited budget. What is the most effective way to recruit new faculty/staff during the current hiring season?

Just as we mentioned before school ended last spring, swine flu concerns are back just in time for fall's back-to-school season. This time, however, we're ready for it—and your school can be too.

Q:I've heard that alcoholism is protected under the ADA. Does that mean I can't take action to terminate a teacher who comes to school intoxicated?