Episodes

This episode was provided in Partnership with Alliant Insurance Services. All school districts need to understand their obligations for implementing Title IX, which ensures that no students in our schools are victims of gender-based discrimination, whether in the form of inadequate support for female students in athletics, under-representation in certain rigorous academic programs or ineffective responses to reports of student sexual harassment. On August 1st, 2024, those obligations underwent ...

This episode was provided in Partnership with Alliant Insurance Services. Ensuring that students are able to safely participate in school athletics takes a team effort. That team includes parents, students, private healthcare providers and, of course, key school officials, including school nurses, school physicians, athletic directors, coaches and athletic trainers. For the 24-25 school year, major changes were made to the process for student athlete clearance, including revised forms and new l...

This episode was provided in Partnership with Alliant Insurance Services. We are experiencing a surge in students nationwide who are in need of mental health supports. Involvement in school athletics has the potential to greatly benefit both the physical and mental health and well-being of students. However, student athletes often face enormous pressures to succeed, both athletically and academically. For any student athlete, there is also the challenge of learning to cope with the emotional ro...

Host - David Nash, Esq., Director of Legal Education and National Outreach, FEA Guest - George Guy, Principal, Cherry Hill Public Schools Discrimination in our schools can take many forms. Sometimes it takes the form of overt, intentional acts which any reasonable person should recognize. But other times, discrimination can take more insidious, subtle forms. Learning how to identify those subtle forms of discrimination, including microaggressions and implicit biases, is critical for school dis...

Host - David Nash, Esq., Director of Legal Education and National Outreach, FEA Guest - Rebecca Gold, LEGAL ONE Consultant With school districts facing increasing staffing shortages, efforts to promote diversity in hiring have become more challenging than ever. Those efforts have become ever more complicated by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating the use of certain affirmative action policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. However, the legal requirement to promo...

Host - David Nash, Esq., Director of Legal Education and National Outreach, FEA Guest - Maureen A. Brogan, LPC, ACS, DAAETS, DRCC, Program Manager, Traumatic Loss Coalitions for Youth (TLC), Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care Recent data suggests an alarming spike in mental health needs for students and staff in our public schools. In this episode, participants will learn about legal requirements under state and federal law related to addressing mental health needs, including a new Stat...

Host - David Nash, Esq., Director of Legal Education and National Outreach, FEA Guest - John Worthington, Esq., Coordinator of Special Education Law, FEA New Jersey has one of the most expansive anti-discrimination laws in the nation, which provides strong protections for students and staff members in our schools. In this episode, participants will learn about the broad protections available under NJLAD, including protected categories, recent expansions and clarifications of those protections ...

Host - David Nash, Esq., Director of Legal Education and National Outreach, FEA Guests - Christian Fuscarino, Executive Director, Garden State Equality and Kate Okeson, Co-Founder, Monmouth Consortium for LGBTQ+ Youth and NJ High School Art Teacher The stakes couldn’t be higher. Across the nation, a concerted effort is underway to pressure local school districts to reduce or even abandon essential policies, practices, and curricula that are intended to promote a safe and supportive learning en...

Presenter: Michael Kaelber, Esq., LEGAL ONE Coordinator of Online Course Development This session will discuss the various leaves available to school employees and how they interact with one another. Leaves to be considered will include, but not be limited to basic sick leave, personal leave and other contractually negotiated leaves, FMLA, FLA, and NJ paid family leave.

Presenter: Michael Kaelber, Esq., LEGAL ONE Coordinator of Online Course Development This session will review the legal requirements for gifted and talented education in New Jersey, including the recently passed Strengthening Gifted and Talented Education Act and its new reporting requirements. Also to be discussed will be program requirements, funding issues, identification, programming and equity issues in gifted and talented programs.

Presenters: Sandra Jacques, Esq., LEGAL ONE Supervisor of Legal Research and Content This session will provide an overview of New Jersey Registration and Residency Laws pertaining to students enrolling in a public school. Participants will gain an understanding of the limitations of a School District when seeking documentation from prospective students. Additionally there is a discussion of the residency exceptions available to students that are not domiciled within the boundaries of the School...

Presenters: Sandra Jacques, Esq., LEGAL ONE Supervisor of Legal Research and Content Development; Diahann DeRuggierio MSW, M.Ed., Bergen County Special Services, Regional Coordinator, McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless and Youth Program This Podcast will provide an overview of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Participants will gain an understanding of a school’s obligations to homeless students, as well as information about the application of Title I funds, the role of the District...

Presenters: John Worthington, Esq., LEGAL ONE Education Law Specialist; Geta Vogel, LEGAL ONE Coordinator of Mental Health and Wellness This episode will provide an overview of the HIB process, and more specifically, how to work with students with disabilities involved in HIB incidents as a victim, perpetrator or witness. State and federal guidance for working with students with disabilities when investigating HIB incidents will also be discussed, as well as best practices for working with thes...

Presenters: John Worthington, Esq., LEGAL ONE Education Law Specialist; Geta Vogel, LEGAL ONE Coordinator of Mental Health and Wellness This episode will address teacher certification requirements when working in a special education or general education setting and delivering instruction and services to students with disabilities. Issues caused by teacher and staff shortages will be discussed, including specifically, staffing issues in secondary settings. The TOH and TOSD licenses and their imp...

Presenters: David Nash, Esq., Director of LEGAL ONE and National Outreach, FEA; Jeff Gale, Director, Office of School Preparedness and Emergency Planning, NJDOE This episode will review the rise of violent extremism across the nation and the impact on public schools. Listeners will learn about how to distinguish extremism from protected First Amendment expression, strategies for identification, prevention of extremism, and response to incidents of extremism involving students, parents, communit...

Presenters: David Nash, Esq., Director of LEGAL ONE and National Outreach, FEA; Diane Litterer, Executive Director, New Jersey Prevention Network; Andrea Zapcic, Prevention Director, New Jersey Prevention Network This episode will review the impact of recreational marijuana use for adults on public schools. The episode includes a review of legal requirements and best practices for responding to marijuana and other substance use, available resources to support students, and key elements of a com...

Presenter - Sandra Jacques, Esq., LLM, LEGAL ONE Supervisor of Legal Research and Content Development In 2022, a new statute established requirements that a School District must fulfill if it has a School Newspaper. This episode will discuss the 2022 law, as well as the types of speech limitations that a District may assert pertaining to articles and/or editorials the student journalists may wish to publish.

Presenters - Michael Kaelber, Esq., LEGAL ONE Coordinator of Online Course Development; Sandra Jacques, Esq., LLM, LEGAL ONE Supervisor of Legal Research and Content Development The deadline to submit a School District’s Comprehensive Equity Plan (CEP) was extended to June 30, 2023. This episode will provide an overview of the information necessary to complete the CEP. A discussion of statutory mandates will also provide the listener with examples of actions that demonstrate actionable options ...

Presenters - John Worthington, Esq., LEGAL ONE Education Law Specialist; Geta Vogel, LEGAL ONE Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator This episode will address the legal requirements for addressing threats and dangerousness when working with students with disabilities. The unique legal requirements for disciplining and removing these students when the student is considered a danger or threat will be reviewed. In addition, the legal requirements for assessing and addressing potential threats in ...

Presenter - David Nash, Esq., Director of LEGAL ONE and National Outreach, FEA This episode will review key legal parameters for addressing religious expression in school and at school events for both students and staff, in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton.

Presenters - David Nash, Esq. Director of LEGAL ONE and National Outreach, FEA; Robyn Gigl, Esq., Partner, Gluck Walrath LLP This episode will review key legal requirements and best practices related to supporting transgender students in our schools, including a review of student confidentiality rights, ensuring a gender inclusive curriculum, addressing name changes, access to locker rooms and restrooms, and responding to acts of bullying and discrimination.

Presenter - Sandra Jacques, Esq., LLM, LEGAL ONE Supervisor of Legal Research and Content Development This episode will address the steps of Progressive Discipline required for staff that have issues with excessive absenteeism and/or tardiness. Recent TEACHNJ Cases will demonstrate how Arbitrators analyze Conduct Unbecoming Claims for these situations, and will provide guidance as to the Due Process rights of the staff member.

Presenter - Michael Kaelber, Esq., LEGAL ONE Coordinator of Online Course Development This episode will review key changes to New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights that have gone into effect for the 2022-23 school year, including new requirements related to staff reporting protocols, responding to students engaged in multiple incidents of bullying, initiating investigations, and potential parent liability.

Presenters - John Worthington, Esq., LEGAL ONE Education Law Specialist; Geta Vogel, LEGAL ONE Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator In this episode, we will discuss important dates and tasks with respect to claims for compensatory services arising from the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 - September 1, 2021) and the tasks all districts must complete as part of unique legal requirements for this time period. The need to hold meetings for all students and document IEP team determinations and the ...