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Thursday, August 05 2021 8:30 AM - Friday, August 06 2021 12:00 PM [MDT]
222 South 22nd Street, Laramie, WY, 82070, United States
UW Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center, 222 South 22nd Street, Laramie, WY, 82070, United States.
This conference is designed to build upon the traditions of the past and provide school board members, superintendents, principals, and other school leaders with an opportunity to learn together about the legal environment within which our schools operate. In addition to a mock trial, conference sessions will cover current issues in education policy and foundations for effective educational leadership. Scroll down for more information about this event.
Agenda and conference materials can be found HERE. Check back often for updated materials.
COST: $200 (participants will be billed after the event)
Ten (10) points toward the Certified Board Member Program will be awarded to board members who attend the Conference. PTSB and CLE credits may also be available.
Cancellation policy N/A
N/A
Sponsored by UW College of Education, Wyoming School Boards Association, and UW Trustees Education Initiative. Supporting sponsorships provided by UW College of Law, PFM, Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, Wyoming Association of School Administrators, and Wyoming Association of Secondary School Principals.
Sonja H. Trainor is the Managing Director of Legal Advocacy at the National School Boards Association. Ms. Trainor coordinates NSBA’s amicus program, which advocates for public education in the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts of appeals and state supreme courts. As a member of the NSBA legal team, Ms. Trainor represents the school board and school board attorney perspective on relevant legal issues in federal and national forums. A former school attorney and member of NSBA’s Council of School Attorneys, Ms. Trainor supports the work of the Council’s Board of Directors and its committees and working groups. She earned her law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, where she served as a research assistant for the Department of Education Organization and Leadership. She received her bachelor’s in Educational Studies and English Literature, cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis. Ms. Trainor lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and children, all of whom attended K-12 public schools.
Dr. Troy Hutchings is the Senior Policy Officer with the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC). He researches, writes, and speaks in the areas of professional ethics, educator misconduct, and frameworks for an ethical and legal teaching practice. He presents to various state and national policy and practitioner groups across the United States and Canada. Hutchings also provides expert witness testimony in judicial hearings; collaborates on policy initiatives with state, federal and provincial agencies; and has been the subject matter expert on a variety of national projects dealing with educator ethics including the Model Code of Ethics for Educators and the National Council for the Advancement of Educator Ethics.
Dr. Chase Thiel is the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program Professor of Business Ethics and an Associate Professor in the Management & Marketing Department at the University of Wyoming. His expertise is in the areas of human resource management and business ethics. Dr. Thiel earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (with a minor in Quantitative Psychology) from the University of Oklahoma, and a B.S. in Psychology from Idaho State University. In addition, Dr. Thiel is a Senior Certified Professional by the Society of Human Resource Management.
Dr. Oliver Dreon is a professor of Educational Foundations at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. At Millersville, Ollie teaches a wide variety of education and instructional technology courses both in face-to-face and online formats. He is the co-author of Authentic Instruction with Technology: A Student-Centered Approach and the co-author of The Power of Blended Learning in the Sciences. Besides his work in instructional technology, Ollie has co-edited the book Teacher Education for Ethical Professional Practices in the 21st Century and co-authored the Educator Ethics and Conduct Toolkit, which is available through the PA Department of Education. Ollie has spent almost 30 years teaching in various educational environments and provides regular professional development and consultation on online and blended learning. His work examines how technology can be used to support student development through physical, online, and hybrid learning spaces.
Dr. Jason McConnell is a true University of Wyoming legacy. He followed in the footsteps of his parents – the other two Drs. McConnell – to attend UW where he earned both B.S. and M.A. degrees in Political Science. After working in the private sector for some time, he returned to U.W.’s College of Law, where he also earned a Juris Doctorate, completing a U.W. academic trifecta! Eventually returning to academia, after another stint in the private sector, Jason earned his Ph.D. from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. His research interests are the product of his diverse and eclectic education: free speech, campaign advertising, and courts as political entities.
Tracy Copenhaver is the senior partner in Copenhaver, Kath, Kitchen & Kolpitcke, LLC. He graduated from the University of Wyoming Law School in 1982. Tracy is licensed to practice law in all courts in the State of Wyoming, as well as the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Current areas of practice include: insurance defense work for all liability claims, as well as public entity representation. Tracy does a considerable amount of work in education law and defense of public employers and employees.
After graduating from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1996, Scott passed the bar exams in Wyoming and Colorado and began working for a small law firm in Laramie, WY. Scott joined Copenhaver, Kath, Kitchen & Kolpitcke, LLC in 1998 and represents school districts, cities, towns, hospitals, and other local governmental agencies in Wyoming. Scott regularly gives presentations to school boards, city councils, and other groups on issues such as employment law, school law, public records, open meetings, government ethics and other issues.
David Evans has developed a community-based, statewide, general practice of law over the years. His areas of emphasis at this time are Business and Commercial Law, Labor Law, and Education Law. David is a member of both Wyoming and Colorado State Bar Associations. He is a past member of the American Judicature Society Board of Directors, the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council, the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities, and currently Chairman of the Wyoming Water Development Commission. He has served the Wyoming State Bar in several capacities, including as Chairman of the Wyoming Bench Bar Relations Committee, and a member of the Wyoming State Board of Continuing Legal Education. He is a past president of the Ewing T. Kerr Inn of Court. He also served as a Trustee in the United States Bankruptcy Court.
Dr. Richard Schroeder is an experienced Academic with a demonstrated history of working in the Publishing industry. Skilled in Educational Technology, Behavior Management, Professional Learning Communities, Business Development, and Adult Education. Strong research professional with a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) focused in Organization, Change, and Leadership from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
UW College of Education
Wyoming School Boards Association (WSBA)
UW Trustees Education Initiative
UW College of Law
PFM
Intelligent financial advice and creative consultation require attention and partnership to flourish. This is why PFM forges a close working relationship with each of our clients, ensuring our efforts to empower, mobilize and educate today help to yield sustainable outcomes tomorrow. We have worked with hundreds of school districts, charter and private schools throughout the United States, advising on billions of dollars in long-term financing.
Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association
The Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association is the state's largest and most active voluntary statewide legal organization. Our members are attorneys dedicated to protecting the health and safety of Wyoming families, enhancing consumer protections and preserving each and every citizen's right to trial by jury and access to the courts. WTLA is committed to improving the quality of legal representation for Wyoming families by providing high quality legal education and keeping abreast of legislative and judicial activities.
Wyoming Association of School Administrators (WASA)
WASA's Mission is to provide a network of leadership and collaboration for educational leaders in the state to positively impact education and increase student achievement by promoting opportunities for support and fellowship among superintendents, providing superintendents with leadership experiences and training, and influencing the State Legislative process for the betterment of Wyoming schools.
Wyoming Association of Secondary School Principals (WASSP)
WASSP represents over 160 school administrators across Wyoming. Our primary focus is the professional development, networking and advocacy for building level administrators. We hold many conferences and workshops each year in different areas of the state.
Recent changes on the United States Supreme Court have led to an ideological shift with for the highest court in the land. How has the Court changed and what might this mean for education law in the coming years? The National School Board Association’s Managing Director of Legal Advocacy, Sonja Trainor, will examine recent cases, discuss briefs filed by NSBA in a number of recent cases, and provide an update on new developments in the law. As a former school attorney, Ms. Trainor knows well how decisions of the Court impact the daily work of school leaders. NSBA files more amicus briefs in the federal courts than all other education associations combined. Ms. Trainor is pivotal in crafting arguments that represent the positions of NSBA in these cases. Numerous NSBA briefs have been referenced in written opinions of the Court.
Managing Director, Legal Advocacy
National School Boards Association
Make no mistake about it, “ethics” is a loaded word. The mere mention of ethics often results in value laden discussions of what is considered right or wrong. When placed within the context of a profession, however, ethics acknowledges the complexities inherent within a practitioner’s work and is meant to serve as a guide in nuanced situations. This presentation will build a case that in our profession, like in other fiduciary professions, ethics should be a higher threshold than law. Educator decision-making is not always about right and wrong, but rather how to operate within the gray.
Senior Policy Advisor
NASDTEC
How do people behave when confronted with an ethical dilemma? How do we help to prepare students to make ethical decisions when confronted with dilemmas? Behavioral ethics calls for a model of ethics in education that focuses on the way people think clearly and impartially about ethical problems.
Professor, Business Ethics
University of Wyoming
Now, more than ever, school leaders need to know when they can and when they cannot limit the speech of students and staff on school campuses. Learn about how recent case law and current issues are bringing these issues to the forefront and what you can do about it.
Attorney
Copenhaver, Kath, Kitchen & Kolpitcke, LLC
Leaders in school systems are consistently faced with decisions related to resources that are often difficult. Using an Academic Return on Investment lens, leaders can make strategic decisions related to resource allocation that impact the growth of students and ensure equity for all. During this session, leaders will be introduced to the concept of AROI in strategic decision making, collaborate around sample AROI decisions, and leave with an immediate next step related to the use of AROI in their district.
Associate Partner
International Center for Leadership in Education
In this interactive session, attendees will be able to explore vignettes that provide examples for discussion about educator ethics. Attendees will be able to talk about what makes behavior or practices ethical for educators in their work.
Professor, Educational Foundations
Millersville University
About a year ago, the US Department of Education issued new guidance on how schools should handle complaints of sexual harassment. The new procedures created cumbersome requirements for receiving reports and conducting investigations. What have we learned since then and what should we be doing when we receive such a complaint?
The idea that “kids say the darndest things” used to invoke cute images of simple wisdom. Today, students are engaging in more unsavory speech that may be neither cute nor wise. Can schools regulate this kind of speech? Should they?
Assistant Professor, Political Science
It can be difficult for educators to establish proper relationships with students these days. Some want to be seen as a friend, confident, or trusted resource. Some are afraid of being seen as being too soft and would rather be seen as an authority figure. There is an art to finding that balance between being a friend and being the authoritarian. The Human Connection is a way to strike that proper balance. It can lead to fewer personnel issues that come from either extreme in staff-student relationships. This session will explore the art of the human connection and provide some tips for administrators as they deal with staff in defining their roles in the school. Hear from a veteran school attorney about how this approach can help to reduce personnel issues administrators may encounter.
Hickey & Evans, LLP
Fact Pattern Review (8:30 – 9:15)
Break (9:15 – 9:30)
Begin Mock Trial (9:30 – 11:30)
Group Discussion (11:30 – 12:00)
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