Five attorneys from Cooper Levenson’s Education/School Law Practice Group will be presenting at the NJSBA/NJASA/NJASBO Workshop 2017, to be held Oct. 23-26, 2017 at the Atlantic City Convention Center, One Convention Blvd., Atlantic City, N.J. Find us in our Learning Lab on Tuesday and Wednesday
On Tues., Oct. 24, from 11-11:30 a.m., Kelli Prinz, Amy Houck Elco and Yolanda Melville will present, “WHY ME? Straight Talk about Board Member Conflicts.” The attorneys will discuss board member conflicts in the context of the Code of Ethics, the School Ethics Act, and nepotism regulations. They will share decisions and advisory opinions in situations such as the selection of the Superintendent or negotiations on collective bargaining.
On Tues., Oct. 24, from 1-1:30 p.m., William S. Donio and Christopher Barrett will present “Disaster-piece Theater.” A discussion of the various legal and policy mechanisms that are available to a board of education when a meeting goes awry. Emphasis will be placed on the role of the Chair in presiding over the meeting and the ability (and inability) of a board of education to silence outspoken commenters (that range from other BOE members, members of the public, student protesters, teachers/school personnel, etc.) on matters that are (and are not) before the board. Legal discussion will touch on First Amendment concerns.
On Wed., Oct. 25, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., William S. Donio will serve on the Mock Board, in the Investors Bank Theater. This session will confront several controversial issues likely to come before your board in the coming school year. While the session will follow an agenda like a regular board meeting, the public will have an opportunity to present general school law and labor relations questions to a panel of distinguished school board attorneys. Attendees are invited to bring their school law questions to the professionals.
On Wed., Oct. 25, from 2-2:30 p.m. and again at 3-3:30 p.m., William S. Donio and Amy Houck Elco will present, “Post no evil. Like no evil. Tweet no evil: Board member use of Social Media.” With real world examples, the attorneys will discuss board member interaction with the public on personal or official social media accounts and pages. The attorneys will also review legal precedent, advisory opinions, and best practices so board members leave with a better understanding of their legal rights, and the possible ethical consequences of their actions.
