We are passionate about education.
Each Miller Johnson attorney chose this field, just like our clients did, to support and foster future generations.
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Our team has a deep reservoir of experience in the following specific areas:
Student Rights and Discipline
Student Discipline and School Code of Conduct are important elements in maintaining a safe and effective environment for teaching and learning. We lead investigations into reported student misconduct. We counsel administrators when conducting student discipline hearings and provide guidance on implementing discipline while protecting students, professors, teachers, and staff.
Labor and Employment Relations
We advise our clients in collective bargaining negotiations. This includes the content of proposals, strategies, mediation, fact finding and implementation. If requested, we are prepared to act as the chief spokesperson for the board. We also advise clients on the wide range of employee issues that arise in the school setting, from hiring to discipline and termination.
Special Education and Section 504
Disability law affects all aspects of any educational institution, from access to facilities and services to instruction and learning. The major federal and Michigan disability laws – the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and Michigan’s Persons with Disabilities Act – are detailed, prescriptive and sometimes counter-intuitive. We have special expertise and experience with assisting educational institutions comply with disability law and defend against disability claims from parents, employees and students.
Privacy Rights and Constitutional Issues
We work closely with our education clients to assure all rights are protected as stipulated in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. We guide our clients on First Amendment guarantees about religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.
Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
We ensure compliance and provide strategic guidance so requirements are met regarding public notice, keeping minutes, creating access, and other regulatory permissible actions with sessions are adhered to.
School Election and Financing Issues
We represent school districts in matters regarding campaign finance, voting rights, ballot filing, lobbying, bond and note transactions, millage proposals and renewals, ethics, advocacy rights, and real property use for political purposes.
School Policy
Our attorneys have created Miller Johnson School Policy Services, which supports school districts and boards of education with comprehensive and legally-compliant bylaws, policies, and administrative regulations that are easy to understand and don’t require a forklift to carry around. Please visit our School Policy tab to find out more.
