June 9, 2023 HYBRID - OSBA Office/Virtual
In this workshop, school board attorneys will learn about managing legal challenges related to new First Amendment decisions, media coverage, student discipline, and more. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask the Auditor of State's office about the pending levy guidance.
5.25 hours of CLEs will be awarded for those who attend this workshop
Agenda:
8:30 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast
8:55 a.m. Welcome
9 a.m. First Amendment Overview
Over the last few years, there have been several important First Amendment decisions affecting both school staff and students. In this session, we will discuss how these decisions affect districts on a day-to-day basis and what school board attorneys can expect in the future.
Derek Towster, partner, & Jessica Philemond, partner, Scott Scriven LLP
10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Levy guidance for school board attorneys
The Auditor of State’s Office has issued a guidance document on levies for public officials
including school district officials and employees. Representatives from the state auditor’s office will join OCSBA to review the new guidance document and answer questions.
Sloan Spalding, chief of staff, Ohio Auditor of State
11:30 a.m. Lunch
12:15 p.m. Student Discipline Issues for the Legal Practitioner
Board attorneys deal with student discipline issues frequently. It’s an area fraught with procedural pitfalls as well as the variables that occur when working with heightened emotions. In addition to specific requirements for disciplining K-3 students, transfer students, and students with disabilities, unions have begun to focus on student discipline and how it is managed during negotiations. This session will delve into the legal aspects of student discipline and provide some practical solutions for practitioners.
Christian Williams, attorney, and Brian DeSantis, attorney, Pepple & Waggoner
1:15 p.m. Break
1:30 p.m. Media and the schools: How to be active and proactive
Knowing the laws, policies and best practices to use when engaging with the media is a critical skill for board attorneys. This session will cover how your clients should be proactive with media and how to react when they feature in or become the story. The session will cover conflict avoidance/mitigation strategies, best practices and decision-making, and social media guidance.
Jason Stuckey, attorney, Bricker Graydon LLP
2:30 p.m. Break
2:40 p.m. Ethics and school board officials
The Ohio Ethics Law applies to all public officials and employees, including school board members and school administrators. The speakers will discuss some of the Ethics Commission’s recent advisory opinions affecting school board officials and employees.
Jennifer Hardin, senior deputy director of legal services, Ohio School Boards Association, and Susan Willeke, education and communications administrator, Ohio Ethics Commission
3:40 p.m. Business Meeting
4 p.m. Adjourn