| What kind of administrators control ACSA? The Region 18 Chair is Ed Brand Term expires July 2009 |
| Should superintendents like Ed Brand direct our SDCOE lawyers? He is on the San Diego County School Legal Services Council until 2008! |
| As demonstrated by the Mary Anne Weegar case, and many other cases handled by the SDCOE JPA and legal services, Ed Brand contributes to, and helps enforce, SDCOE's culture of dishonesty and secrecy. Should superintendents like Ed Brand be in a position over SDCOE lawyers, when they are the very individuals for whose wrongdoing SDCOE must pay? Isn't that putting the fox in charge of the hen house? The taxpayers have to keep paying and paying, while Ed Brand violates the law. Ed Brand directs SDCOE lawyers to assist him and other school district leaders in illegal actions! |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) |
| National School Boards Association (NSBA) Council of School Attorneys |
| Attorneys who have helped cover up crimes in schools are in charge of training both new board members and new school attorneys. |
| California Council of School Attorneys CCSA/CSA Joint Annual Meeting November 29, 2007 San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina Session for New Attorneys and for Those Who Can’t Remember: The Basics of Personnel/ Student Discipline/ Client Relations Mark Bresee, Counsel, Orange CDE |
| 1) Mark Bresee formerly of Parham/Rajcic--now works for Orange County Dept. Education; as of July 2008 works for San Diego Unified School District |
| Who trains new school attorneys? |
| 2) Dan Shinoff trains board members and employees as well as attorneys |
| Special Education One of Daniel Shinoff's specialties is destroying the lives of parents who complain that their kids aren't getting the right education. He clearly doesn't teach the teachers to work with parents. SP ED AFTER REAUTHORIZATION Title: GR K-12 SP EDUC TCHRS Date: 3/14/2005 8:00AM Details: Daniel Shinoff and Jack Sleeth will present vital information to keep you up-to-date with the latest changes and best practices in the implementation of IDEA as reauthorized...agenda topics include legislative updates; evaluations, eligibility determinations & IEPs; related services & assistive technology; discipline; behavioral intervention procedures; confidentiality of student records and most common mistakes. $205; Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, San Diego; sponsored by MEDS-PDN |
| Shinoff and Sleeth Present "The Forensics of Special Education Litigation" Daniel R. Shinoff and Jack M. Sleeth presented at the 2008 Association of California School Administrators Symposium on January 17, 2008 in Monterey, California. The presentation addressed pre-litigation strategies that educational institutions should consider implementing in order to prevent a variety of civil rights claims, such as violations of the Hughes Act or discrimination based on disability. Strategies include proper documentation of all events that may trigger a civil rights claim, and methods to ensure that negotiations which occur in the context of private converstation (sic) are not damaging. The seminar also covered issues of privileged communications, and the interplay of the litigation process in special education beyond due process procedures. For more information or to request a workshop, please contact us at 619-232-3122. from Stutz website |
| Training new attorneys |
| Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost San Marcos office Melanie A. Petersen... served fifteen years as in-house counsel for San Diego Unified School District... Ms. Petersen is the chair of the firm’s Charter School Practice Group...[She] is a frequent presenter at ACSA, CSBA, NSBA and several other professional organizations. She is the 2008-09 President of the California Council of School Attorneys. From FFF website downloaded 09/01/08 |
| From the Lozano Smith website: "... Our attorneys are routinely asked to speak at all of the major Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) labor and employment conferences, School Employees Association (SEA), California Council of School Attorneys (CCSA), the National School Boards Association (NSBA), and the California School Boards Association (CSBA) as labor and employment experts..." downloaded 09/01/08 |
| From the Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz website: "...Our attorneys are frequent speakers at local and national education conferences and seminars on advisory, special education and litigation topics. We develop and conduct workshops on legal issues of importance to our clients in an effort to keep them current on important changes in the laws that affect them. We are also active members and participants in many school related professional organizations including the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), California School Boards Association (CSBA), the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), the California Council of School Attorneys for which one of our attorneys was a founding member, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) downloaded 09/01/08 http://www.stutzartiano.com/practices/practice.php?p ractice_id=000003 |
| NSBA and Chula Vista Elementary School District |
| Teachers must sue for their right to due process [since school attorneys don't obey the law]. Peter Wright of Wrightslaw November 9, 2004 Pamella Settlegoode's contract was not renewed in 2000 after she repeatedly complained about services available to students. She filed suit, contending that the district violated the Disabilities Act of 1978, her First Amendment rights to free speech and the Oregon Whistleblower Act. A jury deliberated nine hours before awarding her $1 million in 2001. A federal magistrate set aside the verdict, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals restored the judgment earlier this year. Settlegoode started teaching in the district in the 1998-1999 school year after earning a doctorate in education from the University of Oregon. She was hired to work with disabled high school students in physical education. Settlegoode developed her own curriculum and had students taking part in track, tennis, hiking and self-defense classes. She complained that some of the equipment was missing or unsafe, and it was tough to find locations to teach her students. |
| High court maintains $1 million verdict against Portland schools Pamela Settlegood |
| The Millgram experiments proved that 65% of ordinary Americans will follow the directions of a man in a white coat who tells them to continue giving shocks to someone who gave the wrong answer on a memory test! Most people will not stop even when the victims pound on the wall and complain about a heart condition--if the authority figure directs them to continue. In the experiments, as wrong answers were given, the voltage went up and up--to the highest voltage available. Jason Bellows says, "One might hope that we've evolved to the point that we can question authority–where we can look our leaders in the face and ask why." In San Diego, the SDCOE JPA contributes to a culture where teachers follow orders without asking why. What happens to the 45% of people who refuse to continue the experiment? What happens to whistle-blowers? Usually, they get fired, as happened to Coach Carter in Escondido, Maura Larkins in Chula Vista, Mary Anne Weegar in Sweetwater, etc. |
| Yes--more often than you'd think. Here's why: |
| Will school employees intimidate witnesses and lie under oath if a lawyer tells them to do so? |
| Home Why This Website SDCOE CVESD Castle Park Elem Law Enforcement CTA CVE Stutz Artiano Shinoff Silence is Golden Schools and Violence Office Admin Hearings Larkins OAH Hearing |
| Federal Judge Approves Record $6.7 Million Settlement in Porter v. Manhattan Beach Unified School District, et. al. |
| State Allowed District to Flout Authority In his December 2004 decision, Judge Feess stated, “it seems that the District has endeavored to use the power it has over [the student’s] education as a means of retaliating against the Porters for their criticisms of, and challenges to, the District.” Judge Feess also took the California Department of Education to task for its failure to exercise appropriate oversight over the District: “...although it is true that the District repeatedly flouted the State’s authority by failing to comply with two state agency orders, it was only successful in doing so because of the CDE ’s inattention.” As interim relief, in a separate order entered on November 23, 2004, Judge Feess transferred control over the student’s education from the Manhattan Beach USD and the CDE to a Special Master, Ivor Weiner, Ph.D. Under the settlement agreement, Manhattan Beach USD (in Los Angeles County) and the CDE have been ordered to set aside approximately $1.1 million to pay for the education of the student at the direction of the Special Master. |
| School District Used Power to Retaliate Against Parents |