Synopsis
What a headache lawyers and the law can be when you re trying to run a K-12 school or a district or just teach in the classroom.
When can you just use old-fashioned common sense and wing it ? When must you call the attorney before you say a word? Who knows? Is there any place at all where others threats of calling the lawyer don t unblissfully intrude?
So we asked a lawyer, and picked the best: Brian Schwartz, who speaks nationwide, practices law, teaches others at college, and is the associate director and general counsel to the Illinois Principals Association. The kindest favor? Brian writes about the law in easy-to-understand English!
Our contention is that there is a huge middle ground between the law and administrative leadership and on-the-spot (or long-range) problem-solving. But how and where do we find it? And what does it look like?
So we brought in the best K-12 administrator we could find: Jim Burgett, who has been chosen both Illinois Superintendent of the Year and Illinois Administrator of the Year, was a Blue Ribbon Award winner, and has written three popular books: Teachers Change Lives 24/7, What Every Superintendent Needs to Know, and The Perfect School.
We figured that knowing the law is only half the answer. That blending it with common sense and applying it with prudence and love completes the process of solving and preventing problems. This book, Finding Middle Ground in K-12 Education: Balancing Best Practices and the Law, is the result!
Finally, we asked Jim and Brian to discuss a dozen of the most serious everyday administrative topics, and begged them, please, to keep their text practical and usable, give us believable examples and maybe slip in some appropriate humor too!
What were the topics they addressed?
How to Keep Yourself Legally Safe
Student Free Speech and Due Process Rights
Search and Seizure
Student Discipline for Off-Campus Conduct
Educational Issues Regarding Homeschool Students
Safeguarding Student Privacy and Records
Teacher, Administrator, and Board Member Rights and Responsibilities
Dealing with Divorce, Difficult Parents, and Other Family Issues
Managing Money and Student Activity Accounts
Accommodating Gay, Transsexual, and Other Minority Student Populations
Technology and the Schoolhouse
Mix in 18 case studies and this book is a must for every educator's and school board member's reference shelf!
As you will read, Brian has a masterful way of making complex laws understandable, and Jim has a gifted hand in creating win-win solutions. We also dare you not to break out laughing every few pages.
What do others say about Finding Middle Ground in K-12 Education?
... a great book...outstanding resource for all teachers and administrators.
Dr. Brad Colwell, President-Elect, Education Law Association
... should be required reading for all ed leadership law classes--practical and relevant.
Jason Leahy, Executive Director, Illinois Principals Association
... a welcome addition to the professional libraries of administrators, teachers, and parents.
Charles J. Russo, J.D., Ed.D., Panzer Chair in Education and Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Dayton.
... a must for school administrators desks.
Dr. Michael Johnson, Education Director, Illinois Association of School Boards
The Middle Ground is that hallowed ground between leadership and school law. Here s a map that helps you find it when help is most needed!
About the Author
JIM BURGETT
Jim Burgett has served as a teacher, principal, and superintendent at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He was named Illinois Superintendent of the Year and Illinois Administrator of the Year. Throughout his career, he has won many awards for his leadership and service to both education and to his communities. The districts that Jim has led have also been the recipients of many national awards, including the Blue Ribbon Award. Jim also implemented a plan that has resulted in 25 teachers becoming Nationally Board Certified.
Jim speaks and provides professional development to au-diences throughout the United States and has previously written three published books: What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know, The Perfect School, and Teachers Change Lives 24/7.
Consulting, strategic plan development, and training teachers, administrators, and board members are a few of the services that Jim provides on a regular basis.
Jim holds three degrees in teaching and administration and is a lead provider of administrative academy development and implementation. He passionately strives to make a dif-ference for kids through his teaching, speaking, and written words. What makes Jim Burgett unique and in such demand is his ability to access a situation and offer practical and meaningful insights. His proven leadership and ability to inspire have made him an in demand author, speaker, and educational leader.
BRIAN D. SCHWARTZ
Brian Schwartz has practiced law for fifteen years and has concentrated his practice in education law for the last eleven years. Brian strives to provide his clients with sound, practical legal advice that is geared toward solving problems, not creat-ing them.
In addition to maintaining an active private practice, Brian serves as the associate director and general counsel to the Illinois Principals Association. He is also an adjunct pro-fessor at the University of Illinois at Springfield where he teaches several undergraduate and graduate courses on school and employment law.
Previously, Brian served as an adminis-trative hearing officer and special prosecutor for the Illinois Secretary of State.
Brian is the author of The Law of Homeschooling, published in 2008. He has also written numerous book chapters, law review articles, and scholarly publications. Brian is a popular speaker and presenter and has spoken nationally and internationally on issues pertaining to school law.
Brian previously served on the national board of directors of the Education Law Association and is the past chair of the Illinois State Bar Association s Education Law Section Council. He is member of the Illinois and National Council of School Attorneys.
Brian lives in Springfield, Illinois, with his wife, Jennifer, who is an elementary school administrator. They have two children, four cats, and a dog.
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