LM Nov-Dec.2019

LegalCorner

When in Doubt, Call.

Chad Watkins IASA Associate Director/General Counsel Over the past month and a half, I have been able to meet many of you and have learned more about how hard each of you work on behalf of students statewide. As all school leaders know, however, there are times when that hard work comes with tough questions that may require legal assistance. As your attorney, I am ready to take your call. But before you grab the phone, it may be helpful to understand my role is subject to some parameters that

need to interact with the court system in some capacity. Traffic violations, wills, family issues, personal injuries, and many more circumstances could require a lawyer and/or representation in court. Given the nuances in each of these areas of law, your representation would be best handled by your own personal attorney who has experience in these areas. Finally, we’ve reached the lane where I drive, the employment lane. In this lane, I can be the point of contact for matters related to your employment at your school district. This includes

may limit the scope of my representation. In some situations, your issue may be better suited for the board attorney or even one who can represent you personally. In this article, I hope to sketch a broad outline of those parameters, so you know who to call when an issue arises. To help illustrate this, I’m going to use a driving analogy and consider the parameters using lanes: a district lane, a personal lane, and an employment lane. In the district lane, I am referring to all matters that constitute the business of the district. For example, this would include student matters, employee issues, labor relations, and board governance (Freedom of Information Act, Open Meetings Act, etc.). For questions on how your district should handle issues that arise within this lane, your board attorney should be contacted. Just as our lives can take unexpected turns, the personal lane of legal issues can move in many directions. There will likely come a time when you will

anything related to your contract, including disputes over interpretation or drafting the initial agreement. My representation may also cover situations in which adverse action is taken against you by the board of education, even before any tangible steps have been taken. As you are well aware, these lanes are not static. Both district and personal matters can veer into the employment lane, and matters within the employment lane can also swerve into a district or personal matter. In cases with the potential for overlap, we will discuss the boundaries carefully, so you can get the representation that you need, at the time you need it. To be sure, assessing which lane your issue falls within is not always easy, but if you are ever uncertain about whether you need to call or who you need to call about a legal matter, you can always start with me and call 217–753–2213, or email at cwatkins@iasaedu.org .

For District Legal Issues

Call Your Board Attorney

For Personal Legal Issues

Call Your Personal Attorney

RE: Your Employment With the School Board YES Please Contact Me

217–753–2213 cwatkins @ iasaedu.org

15

LM Month 2019