During a presentation for the Florida School Boards Association, partner Leonard Dietzen provided an overview of the school board attorney’s role as the legal advisor for the school board members, superintendent and district administrators. He shared that the school board attorney keeps school board members’ in compliance with ever-changing state and federal laws. In addition, as laws change, school board policies must be updated and followed by all school board employees including school board members.

He also discussed the importance of understanding public records and the Sunshine laws and how school board members can stay in compliance with these laws. He covered what does and does not constitute a public record and what happens if a civil action is filed against an agency.

The presentation ended with a discussion about board members serving in a quasi-judicial role for final personnel, expulsions and impasse hearings.