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Our school law seminars and webinars offer invaluable professional development opportunities and CLE credit for school lawyers. These programs are presented by school law practitioners for school law practitioners and target your professional needs.

School Law Seminar

COSA Spring School Law Seminar graphic with dates

2023 Spring School Law Seminar

The COSA Spring School Law Seminar will be held March 30 - April 1, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. The program will provide school attorneys with timely, valuable resources to make the best decisions for their districts. The seminar offers continuing legal education as well as multiple networking opportunities.

 

School Law Webinars

COSA presents webinars on topics of critical interest to public school districts and their legal counsel. COSA members receive discounts for these online opportunities.

COSA is dedicated to providing high-quality continuing legal education (CLE) sessions to attorneys. We established a financial hardship policy for attorneys who are unable to participate due to financial reasons but are interested in our course offerings. Please submit your request according to the guidelines noted on the Financial Hardship form and contact COSA’s Director if there are questions. 

Significant New Federal Guidance and Directives Impacting Schools: Students with Disabilities Wednesday, February 8, 2023
1:00 – 2:00 PM (Eastern)

The U.S. Department of Education has issued new guidance significantly impacting how schools must address the discipline, safety, and behavior of students with IEPs and 504 Plans. In addition, the Office for Civil Rights issued its Annual Report to President Biden highlighting issues of significance that foreshadow future enforcement on issues including students with disabilities’ accessibility and placement, “Free Appropriate Public Education” under the Section 504 regulations, and schools' responsibilities to respond to complaints during remote, hybrid and in-person learning. The presenters will cover key new directives in the guidance, highlight areas of likely enforcement activities, and offer insights on advising school clients given these developments. 

Host:  Sonja Trainor, Managing Director, Legal Advocacy, NSBA
Faculty Presenter:  Alana Leffler and Renae Aldana, Buelow Vetter Buikema Olson & Vliet, LLC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Register Now!

  

Annual Ethics Webinar Bundle
Wednesday, December 7, 2022

1) A House Divided:  A School Attorney’s Guide to Managing a Split Board
1:00 – 2:00 PM (Eastern)
In this comprehensive review of the specific legal ethics questions that arise in school law practice, the speaker will engage you in real-life school law scenarios that implicate various ethical rules. Apply the well-known rules attorneys must follow in situations you are likely to experience, if you haven’t already. (60 minutes of CLE)

Host:  Sonja Trainor, Managing Director, Legal Advocacy

Presenters:  Christine Badillo, Walsh Gallegos Trevino Kyle & Robinson P.C., Austin, TX

Register Now!

2) School Board Member Misconduct
2:15 – 3:15 PM (Eastern)
Join an experienced school attorney for tales of board member misconduct – all based on true stories – and how to apply ethics rules in the midst of such challenges. You will come away with wise insights and legal ethics training gained through difficult experiences. (60 minutes of CLE)

Host:  Sonja Trainor, Managing Director, Legal Advocacy

Presenter:  Lynn Rossi Scott, Brackett & Ellis, P.C., Fort Worth, TX

 

Register Now!

Fees:

 

Regular

(Non-Member)

COSA

Member

State

Association

Individual Webinar

$139

$99

$49
   

CLE Information

COSA has implemented new CLE requirements for our webinars.

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    Live Seminars and Webinars:
    To obtain CLE credit for your participation you must

    (1) register and attend the live presentation,
    (2) complete webinar polls during the live presentation and also the post-event survey/evaluation, and
    (3) return your COSA Certificate if you are from the following states: AL, AR, DE, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, NE, NV, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, WA, and WV.
    ✓ COSA will verify your participation on the webinar and forward a Certificate to the participant
    ✓ COSA will collect signed certificates for our records and to report credit (required in some states)

    Recorded Webinars:
    COSA is required (in some states) to certify your viewing of a recorded webinar. We will now provide the certificate to attorneys who meet the following requirements:

    (1) Attorney must purchase and view the recorded webinar presentation.
    (2) Attorney must complete COSA’s recorded webinar evaluation and notify COSA_Registration@nsba.org when completed, and
    (3) Attorney must return the signed COSA Certificate to COSA.
    ✓ COSA will verify your completion of the recorded webinar evaluation and send you a certificate for your participation
    ✓ COSA will collect signed certificates for our records and to report credit (required in some states).

    Webinar CLE Applications: COSA generally applies for Continuing Legal Education in the following states: AL, AR, GA, IL, MS, MO, NC, TN, OK, VT, and WI. We also apply in states where attorney participants are not able to self-apply for credit. These states include KS, OH, SC* and TX. COSA will apply to additional states according to those represented on the webinar registration list 45 days prior to the webinar date.

    To ensure CLE applications are submitted in your state, attorneys must register at least 45 days in advance. If registration is received less than 45 days before the webinar, the attorney may seek CLE credit as follows:(1) attorney may self-apply to his or her state and pay application and any additional fees for application review, OR (2) attorney sends notice to COSA of his or her interest in seeking CLE credit in their state(s), agrees to have COSA apply late for their state, and agrees to pay application AND late fees incurred by COSA for the late application submission.

    *Applications are impacted by the availability of materials from presenter(s).

    Contact COSA_Registration@nsba.org or call (703) 838-6722 for more information.

Seminar Recordings

Recordings from COSA’s 2022 Fall School Law Seminar are now available for purchase via the links below.

Day 1 - Legal Advocacy Update, Equity, and Digital Privacy
This recording features three sessions recorded live on Oct. 4, 2022: 1) NSBA Legal Advocacy Update; 2) Band-Aids Don’t Fix Bullet Holes: How Lawyers Can Sabotage Long-Term Risk Management in Diversity & Equity Work; and 3) Digital Privacy Issues in the Education Context. (180 minutes of instruction)

Purchase Recording

Day 2 - Labor & Employment
This recording features three sessions recorded live on Oct. 6, 2022: 1) Teaching on the Titanic: The Speech Rights of Public School Employees in a Post-Pandemic World; 2) Attracting the Employees You Want Using the Benefits Employees Want; and 3) Legal and Practical Considerations for Retaining Employees in a Competitive Job Market. (180 total minutes of instruction)

Purchase Recording

Day 3 - First Amendment Rights
This recording features three sessions recorded live on Oct. 11, 2022: 1) Turning Student Dress Codes Inside Out: Legal Risks and Practical Implications; 2) Libraries, School Curriculum, and the First Amendment: Turning Board Meetings Into Book Clubs; and 3) Staff Speech – Kennedy and its Impact on Garcetti, Free Exercise Standards. (180 total minutes of instruction)

Purchase Recording

Day 4 - Civil Rights & Ethics
This recording features three sessions recorded live on Oct. 12, 2022: 1) Title IX Regulations: The Remix; 2) Student Privacy on Trial:  The School Attorney’s Guide to Complying with FERPA, Court Orders, and Discovery Rules During Litigation; and 3) Striving to Eliminate Bias, Discrimination, and Harassment in the Practice of School Law (ETHICS). (180 total minutes of instruction)

Purchase Recording

 

 

Webinar Recordings

Recent recordings available in the NSBA Bookstore! 

Title IX Redesigned Again: The 2022 Regulations
Wednesday, July 6, 1:00 p.m. (Eastern) (Not for CLE)

This webinar was a live review of the newest iteration the Department of Education’s Title regulations, hot off the presses! After historic rulemaking in 2020 that required detailed procedures for incidents of alleged sexual harassment, the Department plans to release a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking this month that will change its enforcement approach on several fronts. Aimed at “fair, prompt, and equitable resolution of reports of sexual harassment and other sex discrimination” and “addressing discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in educational environments,” the new proposed rule is likely to signal a shift in focus and to require new procedures. COSA members well-versed in Title IX investigations discussed what’s new in the proposal, and flag key issues for you to share with your school clients.

Host: Cheryl Richardson, Director, NSBA Council of School Attorneys 
Presenters: Phil Hartley, Harben, Hartley & Hawkins, LLP; Jackie Wernz, Thompson & Horton; and Jackie Litra, Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost LLP

Purchase Recording Here

NSBA Legal Advocacy Annual Webinar: U.S. Supreme Court 2021 - 2022 Term Update
Wednesday, July 20, 2022, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (Eastern)

In this annual webinar event, NSBA legal staff reported the latest school law related cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court during the current (2021-2022) term. This 60-minute webinar provided COSA members with a comprehensive overview of the landscape of federal and state courts in relation to litigation relevant to "hot button" issues affecting school district policies and operations. Discussion items covered a variety of issues, such as liability, student rights, and employee rights.

Host: Sonja Trainor, Managing Director of Legal Advocacy, NSBA
Presenters: Francisco Negrón, NSBA Chief Legal Officer, and Tammy Carter and Jordan Cooper, NSBA Senior Staff Attorneys

Purchase Recording Here

A Guide to School Safety
Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. (Eastern)

Please join COSA and school law experts for this discussion of school safety and insights for school board members. The presentation will focus on key takeaways from the Uvalde school shooting and discuss the updated version of NSBA’s Guide on School Safety and other relevant themes including: student mental health and well-being; threat assessment; school safety plans; and considerations for working with law enforcement.

Presenters:  Floyd J. Dugas, Berchem Moses PC, Milford, CT and Mo Canady, Executive Director, National Association of School Resource Officers, Hoover, AL

Purchase Recording Here!