Employment Issues in School Law

Session 1: What Schools Can Do, Aside from the Obvious, to Protect Themselves from Retaliation Claims - Texas takes a shotgun approach to prohibiting retaliation in the workplace, with several different statutes giving rise to distinct causes of action based on the nature of the protected activity. There are also several federal laws prohibiting retaliation of various sorts. Review the various types of protected activity and prohibited retaliation and explore how these claims proceed through the various administrative systems, like the EEOC, that are often a first stop before a lawsuit is filed. Most importantly, learn best employment practices that every school should use and that will help establish a defense to these claims before you even know you need one.
 
Session 2: Using Student Performance to Measure Teacher Effectiveness: PDAS, T-Tess, and Beyond - To what extent is student performance a valid measure of teacher effectiveness? Examine the role that student performance plays in the evaluative process and to what extent that data can be used to support implementation of growth plans, recommendations for nonrenewal, and other employment decisions.
 
Session 3: Wage and Hour: Are School Districts under Attack? - An update on the current landscape of the Fair Labor Standards Act and its implications for employers.

Includes: Audio Paper Slides