If you are a newly elected school board member, you are probably both excited and a little nervous about your new position. The role of a school board member is a little different than other elected or appointed positions. In this podcast, Gwen Thornton and Theresa Lewis, both veteran field service representatives with the New Jersey School Boards Association, chat with Ray Pinney, NJSBA's director of county activities and member engagement, about the basic role of the board member and how to build relationships and leverage resources to be more effective.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District shifted the landscape concerning prayer in our public schools. What does this decision mean for school districts? Will districts have to adjust policies and procedures? In this episode, NJSBA’s Ray Pinney discusses these and other issues surrounding the court’s recent decision with Marc Zitomer, a partner with Schenk, Price, Smith & King LLC.

In recent months, the issue of mandated masks in schools has divided some communities. With Gov. Murphy’s decision to lift the mask mandate, effective March 7, the decision as to whether students and staff should wear masks now falls to the local school district. Whatever decision a board and superintendent make, there may be some community members who disagree.  As boards proceed in this decision what process should they follow? What legal issues should they take into consideration? How do they communicate their decision? In this podcast, attorney Adam Weiss of the Busch Law Group discusses these and other pertinent issues with NJSBA’s Ray Pinney.

On March 26, the governor signed legislation requiring parents to be notified in writing if their child under the age of 18 is arrested for possessing or using marijuana. How will this latest change affect the legalization of marijuana, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November 2020? When will marijuana be available in New Jersey? What should school districts and boards of education be thinking about as recreational marijuana becomes more readily available in their communities? In this podcast, Seth Tipton,and Caitlin Pletcher, both partners with the law firm of Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt, Cappelli, Tipton and Taylor LLC, discuss the effect of marijuana use in New Jersey with the NJSBA’s Ray Pinney.

One of the foundations of education law is the protection of students’ privacy.  With the almost overnight transition from in-person instruction to remote instruction, how are students’ rights affected? What are the procedures that districts should follow, and what might be some actions to avoid? In this podcast interview, William Donio, a partner with Cooper Levenson law firm, discusses these and other issues concerning student privacy with the NJSBA’s Ray Pinney.

With school districts moving from hybrid to remote learning and then back again during the pandemic, job responsibilities of district staff have been constantly changing. Boards of education have had to navigate through unique personnel issues during the health emergency as they try to provide the best possible education for their students. In this podcastinterview, Derlys Maria Gutierrez, Esq., a founding attorney with the firm of Adams Gutierrez & Lattiboudere, discusses workforce challenges with the NJSBA’s Ray Pinney.

Earlier this year, Paterson School District officials worried that a shortage of devices would prevent many students from learning online. In this podcast, the NJSBA’s Ray Pinney interviews Paterson Superintendent Eileen Shafer, and Jerry Scacchitti, regional vice president for Trox who explain how they worked together to help Paterson find the devices students needed.

Special education practices changed overnight with the onset of the pandemic. Many districts are working to provide services virtually and with social distancing protocols while still following IEPs and adhering to other legal requirements.  In this podcast, Amy Houck Elco, a partner with the law firm of Cooper Levenson, discusses the issues with the NJSBA’s Ray Pinney.

When COVID-19 first hit New Jersey, school board meetings went from being in person to virtual almost overnight.  Even though the number of coronavirus cases has diminished recently, many boards are still meeting virtually. How can board meetings run more smoothly and still comply with the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA)? Are virtual meetings here to stay?  In this podcast, John Geppert, partner, and Carolyn Chaudry, counsel, with the law firm of Scarinci and Hollenbeck, discuss these and other issues regarding board of education meetings with the NJSBA’s Ray Pinney.

Since the pandemic began, Executive Orders have governed most of our actions as school districts.  What does the most recent—Executive Order 175—mean for school districts and what should they aware of as they move forward? In this interview, Jonathan Busch, of the Busch Law Group, discusses the legal implications of Executive Order 175 with NJSBA’s Ray Pinney.