Educational Institutions

• Drafted standard “Terms and Conditions” to be appended to client contracts.
• Negotiated and drafted dozens of contracts between charter school clients and various third parties, including agreements relating to:
  • Food supplies/services
  • Janitorial services
  • Educational materials
  • After-school care
  • Trainings and professional development
  • Technology rentals/purchases
  • Marketing/public relations services
  • Lottery software
  • Back-office services
  • Architectural, engineering, and construction services
  • Rentals of portable classrooms
  • Landscaping
  • Temporary staff
  • Crossing guards
  • Sports coaching
  • Sports leagues

• Defended a school in an action filed with the state public charter school authority alleging enrollment- and lottery-law violations.
• Drafted:
  • School fees & voluntary contributions policies
  • Tuition reimbursement policies
  • Foster care policies
  • Homeless child policies
  • Advised a school on how to achieve priority classification for elite high school athletes.

• Advised schools in complying with state budgeting deadlines.
• Advised schools in asserting real property tax exemptions, including appeals to the Nevada Tax Equalization Board.
• Acted as borrower’s counsel and special school counsel in various charter schools’ tax-exempt bond financings.

• Incorporated schools as non-profit corporations and filed for federal 501(c)(3) recognition.
• Negotiated a school’s charter contract renewal.
• Drafted bylaws and bylaw amendments.
• Advised on the nomination and election of board members (including compliance with the Charter School Act).
• Conducted multiple board training sessions regarding good governance and best practices, including trainings aligned to the SPCSA’s new governance standards.
• Drafted:
  • Conflict of interest policies
  • Ethics policies
  • Nepotism policies
  • Legal dispute policies
• Advised a board during a tense, intractable split among its directors (avoiding litigation).
• Advised a board in forging an amicable split with its educational management organization (avoiding litigation).
• Advised a board in its determination of appropriate, competitive executive director salaries.

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• Conducted an “in-service” training to all teachers/staff on sexual harassment, First Amendment, corporal punishment, and other specialized legal matters.
• Staff employment contract templates
• Teacher employment contract templates
• Teacher/staff handbooks
• Mileage reimbursement policies
• Advised on multiple discharges of teachers, under both at-will and for-cause agreements, on charges ranging from alcohol/drug use, violence, criminal arrests, and insubordination.
• Advised schools in performing internal investigations in response to discrimination claims, ADA/disability claims, etc.
• Advised schools in PERS issues and the applicability of ERISA.
• Advised schools in obtaining immigration visas for overseas employees.
• Drafted:
  • Staff employment contract templates
  • Teacher employment contract templates
  • Teacher/staff handbooks
  • Mileage reimbursement policies

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• Prosecuted motions for temporary restraining orders against (i) a parent and (ii) a staff member.
• Defended a school in various lawsuits alleging tort claims.
• Defended a school in a construction lawsuit involving alleged negligence.
• Defended a school in countering discrimination, retaliation, and related labor law actions.
• Defended a school in a small-claims matter involving an alleged breach of contract.
• Advised a school in considering the prosecution of a defamation lawsuit.
• Advised schools in dealing with subpoenas in third-party litigation.
• Advised schools in handling wage garnishment orders. 

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• Advised a school in its $8.4 million acquisition of a northwestern Las Vegas campus. 
• Advised a school in its $3 million acquisition of a Henderson campus. 
• Advised schools in multiple long-term leases of campuses for terms ranging 20 to 43 years, with complex negotiations of rents (including abatements), tenant improvement allowances, renewal options, purchase options, and more.
• Represented a school in its (hotly-contested) procurement of a conditional use permit.
• Advised a school in its construction and development of a new 800⁺ student campus on an active air force base in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Advised a school in its construction and development of a new, stand-alone gymnasium.
• Advised a school on prevailing-wage obligations in its construction projects.
• Advised a school in negotiating a CC&R Amendment with its neighboring community.
• Advised on the short-term rental of a campus for a political campaign event.
• Advised on the short-term rental of a campus as a feature film shooting location.

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• Represented applicants and schools in presentations to, and direct one-on-one dealings with, various authorizers (i.e., the State Public Charter School Authority and a County School District), including responding to recent site visitation reports.
• Defended a school from complaints filed with the Nevada Attorney General alleging Open Meeting Law violations.
• Conducted multiple training sessions regarding compliance with the Open Meeting Law (NRS Cha. 241).
• Advised schools in complying with the Public Records Act (NRS Cha. 239).
• Advised schools in complying with local government procurement laws (e.g., NRS Cha. 332.039 et. seq.), including the drafting and revising of requests for proposal (RFPs) to conform to Nevada statutes.
• Drafted a public records act policy, with a related submission form.

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• Student handbooks (primary and secondary levels)
• Restorative justice policies
• English-language learner policies
• State testing opt-out policies
• Prosecuted multiple long-term suspension and expulsion hearings, both contested and non-contested.
• Defended schools in multiple due process and related special education law complaints, including Department of Education investigations.
• Drafted:
  • Student handbooks (primary and secondary levels)
  • Restorative justice policies
  • English-language learner policies

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