EDUCATION LAW
MRR’s Education Law group offers the experience and insight to deliver cost effective legal services required by public school districts, private schools, and institutions of higher learning. Our services include policy review and development, counseling on matters involving employment, student discipline, teacher evaluation, special education issues, staff member misconduct, residency, preparation of employment agreements, significant accidents, compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements, construction law, collective bargaining, and zoning and land use compliance. MRR has considerable experience handling advice of school districts relating to civil rights, personal injury, and premises liability as well.
The firm is recognized for its work in the fields of preventive assessment and civil rights law for education, notably in the areas of Title IX, harassment, discrimination and employment. Attorneys regularly advise clients on risk management and liability, campus conduct and employment issues. Additionally they counsel and train educational institutions on best practices for state and federal compliance, while also resolving civil rights matters in the state courts of Ohio, the Federal District Courts of Ohio and the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
MRR’s attorneys keep abreast of developments in education law by maintaining membership in the Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys and the National School Boards Association Council of School Board Attorneys. Our attorneys spend significant time studying and analyzing newly enacted state and federal statutes and administrative regulations and current case law affecting schools.
In addition to contributing insight into a broad range of legal matters affecting schools, MRR has developed highly effective strategies to provide a rapid response when challenging issues arise. Our attorneys offer a variety of professional development programs that address timely legal issues and topics relevant to your school’s administrators and direct service providers. MRR also partners with school boards to provide cost-effective, preventative and comprehensive solutions to address the management of complex operational and fiscal concerns.
Representative Services
- Review and development of Board policy and procedure
- Collective bargaining and contract administration
- Competitive bidding
- Construction
- Discrimination complaints and compliance
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints
- Employee evaluation
- Employee discipline, including guidance at all stages of discipline and representation at hearings and tribunals
- Representation before county boards of revision
- Local government relations
- Office for Civil Rights (OCR) complaints and representation
- Assistance with Open Records Requests
- Special education issues and compliance with state/federal requirements – IDEA, ADA, and Section 504
- Representation concerning student affairs (disciplinary hearings, records confidentiality, civil rights)
- Contract drafting, review, and negotiation
- Monitoring or active participation in claims for unemployment and workers’ compensation benefits
- Review of the Board’s insurance needs and policies