SPED Meets Employment Law: How To Improve Outcomes and Reduce Costs
Special education and employment issues can overlap in ways that create significant challenges for school leaders. This presentation explores the relationship between student needs, employee performance, and legal compliance. Participants will learn how student behaviors can affect employee working conditions, safety concerns, leave requests, and burnout. The session will also examine how employee misconduct, poor performance, inadequate supervision, and failure to implement IEPs can negatively impact students and expose schools to legal risk. The presenters will share real-world examples to discuss how schools can handle both the student side and the employee side. The presentation will provide best practices on balancing special education obligations with employment law requirements to improve student outcomes, reduce employee burnout and turnover, and create a healthier, more effective school environment. Participants are encouraged to consider: - What do you do when a Gen. Ed. teacher refuses to support behavior interventions? - What do you do when a student repeatedly engages in inappropriate or dangerous physical conduct with an aide? Participants should come prepared to discuss the toughest scenarios - and walk away empowered with actionable guidance.
Presented by
Jason Gonzalez Chief Operating Officer Fenton Charter Public Schools
David Graham Attorney Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP
David counsels charter schools on the complex laws and regulations governing special education. He handles all phases of due process hearings, representing clients in the full spectrum of IEP matters. David provides guidance regarding IEP meetings, assessments, prior written notices, related services, discipline, offers of FAPE, drafting IEPs, and issues regarding 504 plans. After practicing law for several years, David became an Education Specialist. He worked in charter schools, both as a case manager/teacher and as an administrator. He has since returned to practicing law, bringing education clients his experience as both a teacher and a school administrator.
Wendy Tucker Partner Procopio
Wendy Tucker, a Partner in Procopio's Labor & Employment Practice, focuses her practice on advising charter schools on all aspects of the employment relationship, serving as a trusted legal and strategic advisor to school leaders and governing boards. Wendy provides comprehensive counsel on employment agreements, handbooks and workplace policies, performance management, discipline and termination, leaves of absence and disability accommodations, wage and hour compliance, workplace investigations, and labor relations matters. Drawing on extensive experience in the education sector, she delivers practical, proactive guidance that helps charter schools navigate complex employment issues, minimize risk, and support their educational missions.
