The Ninth Annual Utah Education Law and Policy Institute, a one-day conference on legal topics of interest to Utah's education community, will be held at the Brigham Young University Conference Center on Friday, June 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Institute is designed and priced to be a service for educators, educational administrators, school board members, legal practitioners, parents and students.
The cost for the all‑day conference, which includes a luncheon and luncheon speaker, is $35 in advance. Registration is $40 on the day of the conference, which may not include lunch. Students with a valid ID may attend the conference free of charge, but must pre-register. Students who wish to have lunch should pay $13.50 when they pre-register. To register, visit edlaw.byu.edu or call BYU Conferences and Workshops at (801) 422‑2568.
A certificate of attendance will be provided for certification purposes, and professional and academic credits are also available with pre-registration. For more information, please visit edlaw.byu.edu.
Presenters at this year’s Institute will include:
• Amy June Rowley. Rowley is the deaf student who was the subject of the famous landmark 1982 IDEA case, Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley in which it was determined that IDEA did not require that she receive an ASL interpreter to benefit from public education. Currently a professor at California State University East Bay and completing her doctorate at the University of Wisconsin, Rowley’s inside story of the case and how it impacted her is fascinating.
• William Thro. As Solicitor General of Virginia, Thro recently appeared in the U.S. Supreme Court, and will share his predictions on the upcoming decisions of the Supreme Court and other federal courts regarding education. He will also share an update on recent case law from Pontiac, Michigan, that has the potential to radically alter—and perhaps even abolish—state responsibilities to comply with NCLB in the Sixth Circuit.
• Charles Russo. A professor at the University of Dayton, past president of the Education Law Association and author of innumerable journal articles and several key texts and textbooks on education law and special education law, Russo will present a Supreme Court and Federal Courts update on recent cases that affect education.
• Carol Lear. Lear is the director of Government and Legislative Relations for the Utah State Office of Education, and will present on lessons learned in the recent voucher referendum experience, with a focus on the legal rights and duties of teachers and administrators in public schools regarding speaking on matters of public and political concern.
• Fred Hartmeister. Dean of the Graduate School at Texas Tech University, Hartmeister will present on the legal and leadership issues surrounding cyber bullying and students’ misuse of technology, including misuse of cell phones and cell phone cameras.
The Institute will also include poster session on best practices in education law issues by the members of the Leadership Preparation Program, who are all serving as principals or assistant principals while participating in an intensive education law course.
The program is funded by the BYU Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations, the Wheatley Institution, the BYU Journal of Education and Law, the Education Section of the Utah Bar Association and the Del Wasden Memorial Fund. It is a collaborative effort of the institutions above, with the assistance of the Utah Department of Education and the Education Division of the Utah Attorney General's Office.
For more information, contact Institute co-chair Scott Ferrin at (801) 422‑4291 or ferrin@byu.edu.
Writer: Marissa Ballantyne
