Episode 43 Catching Up, and Looking Forward: Student Issues After a Year of COVID-19 and Heading Back to School in 2021-2022

Episode 43 Catching Up, and Looking Forward: Student Issues After a Year of COVID-19 and Heading Back to School in 2021-2022

Host Sloan Simmons joins Lozano Smith attorneys Ruth Mendyk and Joshua Whiteside to discuss updates to district policies and practices during the 2020-21 school year, pending legislation on student retention and grading issues for 2021-22 and proposed curriculum and kindergarten / preschool related issues for future years. Show Notes & References 2:30 – Assembly Bill …

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Episode 42: Return to School in the COVID-19 Era – Student Athletics Issues (Part 3)

Episode 42: Return to School in the COVID-19 Era – Student Athletics Issues (Part 3)

Host Sloan Simmons talks with Lozano Smith attorneys Ruth Mendyk and Chelsea Olson Murphy about the latest developments on COVID-19 and student athletics, with a focus on the most recent guidance from the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), as well as other state public health directives and guidance heading into the 2020-2021 school year. Updates UPDATE …

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Episode 41: Return to School in the COVID-19 Era – Special Education Issues (Part 2)

Episode 41: Return to School in the COVID-19 Era – Special Education Issues (Part 2)

Host Sloan Simmons talks with Lozano Smith Special Education attorneys Alyssa Bivins and Marcy Gutierrez about the latest developments on COVID-19 and special education, with a focus on Senate Bill 98 and the most recent state and federal directives and guidance heading into the 2020-2021 school year. Show Notes & References 1:40 – California Department …

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Episode 40: Return to School in the COVID-19 Era – Student Issues (Part 1)

Episode 40: Return to School in the COVID-19 Era – Student Issues (Part 1)

Host Sloan Simmons talks with Lozano Smith attorneys Desiree Serrano and Aimee Perry about the latest developments on COVID-19 and students, with a focus on Senate Bill 98 and the most recent state agency directives and guidance heading into the 2020-2021 school year. Show Notes & References 2:18 – Requirements for in-person instruction 2:40 – …

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Episode 39: Suicide Awareness and Prevention – From ACSA’s ECC Symposium to the COVID-19 Crisis

Episode 39: Suicide Awareness and Prevention – From ACSA’s ECC Symposium to the COVID-19 Crisis

While on location at the Association of California School Administrators’ (ACSA) 2020 Annual Every Child Counts Symposium (ECC), host Sloan Simmons talked with Lozano Smith attorney and ECC presenter Jennifer Baldassari, and Nathan Moreno, Director of Special Education at Soledad Unified School District (as of July 1, 2020, Director of Special Education at Guadalupe Union …

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Episode 38: California’s Uniform Complaint Procedures: What You Need to Know in 2020

Episode 38: California’s Uniform Complaint Procedures: What You Need to Know in 2020

Host Sloan Simmons talks with Lozano Smith attorneys Marisa Lincoln and Carolyn Gemma about California’s Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP).  Their discussion covers increasingly important legal parameters and best practices for complying with the State’s UCP, and how the UCP interacts with best practices in investigations and other complaint processes, such as that before the U.S. …

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Episode 37: The New Year Brings A Huge Wave of Affordable Housing Legislation: What Does It All Mean for California Cities?

Episode 37: The New Year Brings A Huge Wave of Affordable Housing Legislation: What Does It All Mean for California Cities?

In this episode, Jenell Van Bindsbergen and William P. Curley III, co-chairs of the firm’s Municipal Practice Group, talk about the unprecedented crush of affordable housing legislation enacted by the California Legislature in 2019.  The team discusses what the new laws mean for city governments, and how the legislation strikes at local control and other …

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Episode 36: On Location at CSBA’s AEC – Insights on Critical Issues Impacting Education Agencies by Statewide Education Law Experts (A Bonus Episode of the Lozano Smith Podcast)

Episode 36: On Location at CSBA’s AEC – Insights on Critical Issues Impacting Education Agencies by Statewide Education Law Experts (A Bonus Episode of the Lozano Smith Podcast)

While on location at the California School Boards Association’s (CSBA) 2019 Annual Education Conference, host Sloan Simmons talks with CSBA General Counsel, Kathryn Meola, and one of Lozano Smith’s founding partners, Mike Smith, about critical legal issues impacting educational and other public agencies heading in 2020 and beyond. Show Notes & References 2:45  W. v. …

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Episode 35: Fall 2019 Legislative Roundup – Labor & Employment Bills

Episode 35: Fall 2019 Legislative Roundup – Labor & Employment Bills

Host Sloan Simmons talks with Lozano Smith partners Michelle Cannon and Gabriela Flowers, co-chairs of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group, about important new labor and employment laws passed in 2019 and how they will impact public agency employers in the new year.  Topics covered include employment classifications, probationary periods for classified public school …

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Episode 34: The 7 Things Every Elected Board or Council Member Should Know

Episode 34: The 7 Things Every Elected Board or Council Member Should Know

Lozano Smith partners Mary Lerner and Anne Collins, co-chairs of the firm’s Governance Practice Group, talk about the basics that every newly elected member of a local agency governing body should know when assuming office.  This podcast isn’t just for newly electeds – it’s full of information for public officials, local agency staff, and members …

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