Category: Episodes

Episode 19: Religion in the Schools – A Vehicle for Inclusivity

Episode 19: Religion in the Schools – A Vehicle for Inclusivity

Attorney Michael Smith, joined by associate Josh Whiteside, talks with host Devon Lincoln about the role that religion plays in the lives of public school students and their teachers and other staff, and how schools can create a climate of inclusivity and support for students of every background and faith tradition.

Show Notes & References

 

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 18: Restraints – How the Law Guides Some of the Most Challenging Classroom Decisions

Episode 18: Restraints – How the Law Guides Some of the Most Challenging Classroom Decisions

In a wide ranging discussion on a sensitive and challenging topic, Devon Lincoln discusses the law regarding the use of restraints in school with special education attorneys Sarah Garcia and Roxana Khan. The attorneys discuss real world experiences, the law that applies in this area, and how staff and administrators can best approach these difficult issues.

Show Notes & References

 

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 17: How Many Charter Schools Are Too Many Charter Schools? A Statewide Debate

Episode 17: How Many Charter Schools Are Too Many Charter Schools? A Statewide Debate

Devon Lincoln talks with charter school law experts Ed Sklar and Claudia Weaver about the statewide conversation currently surrounding charter schools and the impact they have on traditional public schools.  From recent teacher strikes, to the election of a new Superintendent of Public Instruction, to a raft of new legislative proposals, the role of charter schools is front and center in California politics right now.  Ed and Claudia discuss the shift in the debate regarding charter schools, the origins of this debate, the issues it raises, and what the future might hold for educational options in the state.

Show Notes & References

 

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 16: It’s Time to Fill Out Your Form 700!

Episode 16: It’s Time to Fill Out Your Form 700!

It’s that time of year, when California public servants must prepare and submit their annual statements of economic interest.  The statement, commonly referred to as Form 700, is due on April 2 this year.  Devon Lincoln talks to ethics expert Tom Gauthier about common pitfalls in filling out the form, what you need to know to get it right, and why it matters.

Show Notes & References

  • 7:14  CSBA Sample Policy Conflict of Interest – Board Bylaw 9270
  • 8:35  Form 700 – 2018/2019 Statement of Economic Interests (Link to Form 700 Document)
  • 17:15  Reference Pamphlet – 2018/2019 Form 700 Statement of Economic Interests (Link to Reference Pamphlet)

 

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 15: Life with Janus

Episode 15: Life with Janus

Labor and employment specialists Lou Lozano and Darren Kameya join Devon Lincoln for a discussion of the unique challenges arising at the public employee union bargaining table in 2019. The conversation covers the fallout from the 2018 Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME, the implications of the LAUSD strike and other labor actions, and how public agencies can attempt to navigate in these complicated times.

Lozano Smith is pleased to provide public agencies with an in-depth Janus Toolkit including important background information, answers to frequently asked questions, an implementation checklist, templates for communication, and more. Download the toolkit at: www.lozanosmith.com/janustoolkit.

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 14: Police in Schools – The Role of a School Resource Officer

Episode 14: Police in Schools – The Role of a School Resource Officer

The role of law enforcement officers on school campuses is not well understood.  Devon Lincoln is joined by attorney Tom Manniello, an expert in student discipline issues and discipline reform, and Jenell Van Bindsbergen, an attorney specializing in working with police officers and police departments.  In a wide ranging discussion, the panelists lay out the complex issues that come up when an officer polices a school campus.

Show Notes & References

  • Client News Brief: Settlement Addresses Discriminatory Treatment of Minority Students and Students with Disabilities (Link to CNB)
  • Client News Brief: New Law Requires Legal Consult Prior to Custodial Interrogation of Minor Under Age 16 (Link to CNB)

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 13: ACSA Keynote Address – Everything I Needed to Know About Life, I Learned at the Table

Episode 13: ACSA Keynote Address – Everything I Needed to Know About Life, I Learned at the Table

This special episode of the podcast features a discussion with negotiator Sarah Kaatz and shares extended excerpts from her successful keynote address at the 2019 ACSA Negotiators’ Symposium. Attorney Devon Lincoln talks with Sarah about the life insights she draws on to negotiate with public employee unions in a range of challenging scenarios.

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our podcast website at www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 12: Are We There Yet? The Long March Toward Equity and Equality in School Finance

Episode 12: Are We There Yet? The Long March Toward Equity and Equality in School Finance

Following the release of the new California governor’s first proposed budget, Lozano Smith attorneys Devon Lincoln, Karen Rezendes and Mattie Scott sit down to discuss the long history of school finance in the state and how that history reverberates in our schools today – and why the issue should matter to every Californian.

Show Notes & References

  • California Constitution (1849)
  • Serrano v. Priest (1971) 5 Cal.3d 584 (“Serrano I”)
  • Serrano v. Priest (1977) 18 Cal.3d 728 (“Serrano II”)
  • Proposition 13 (1978)

For more information on the school finance issues discussed in this podcast, please visit our podcast website at www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 11: Fulfilling the Promise of the Charter Schools Act – How Competition Sparked Trilingual Immersion in a Traditional Public School

Episode 11: Fulfilling the Promise of the Charter Schools Act – How Competition Sparked Trilingual Immersion in a Traditional Public School

In this Lozano Smith podcast, moderator Sloan Simmons engages with Dr. Daryl Camp, Superintendent of the Riverbank Unified School District, and Lozano Smith Partner Megan Macy, regarding a burgeoning and healthy competition between two separate dual immersion programs operated in Riverbank, one through a dependent charter school and another through in a traditional district school.  Their discussion explores how this existing dynamic in Riverbank serves one of the original purposes of the Charter Schools Act, the benefits of this unique situation, and some of the challenges which arose along the way.

Show Notes & References

For more information on the charter school issues discussed in this podcast, please visit our practice group website at www.lozanosmith.com/charterschools or our podcast website at www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Episode 10: Preparing for 2019 – New Employee Leave and Accommodations Requirements

Episode 10: Preparing for 2019 – New Employee Leave and Accommodations Requirements

Are you prepared for 2019? Join Lozano Smith attorneys Dulcinea Grantham and Niki Nabavi Nouri as they discuss three important employee leave and accommodations requirements that will impact school districts and public agencies in the coming year.

Show Notes & References

For more information on the labor and employment issues discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.