Legal Outlines

Looking for guidance on education-related legal issues? TASB Legal Services’ Legal Outlines are short but comprehensive guides that give trustees and district administrators a framework for approaching pressing legal issues. Titles include:

• Closed Meetings: Reviews exceptions, the procedure for conducting closed meetings, who can attend, closed meeting records and who has access to them, and the consequences of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act in relation to closed meetings
• Compensation of School District Employees: Addresses salaries, stipends, contracts, bonuses, pay reductions, and many other questions
• Grading and Class Rank Issues: Covers information about the school board’s grading policy, local class rank policies, the top 10% rule, and high school graduation requirements
• Grievances: Includes the legal basis for and requirements of the grievance process, common mistakes, grievance resolution techniques, the role of local policy, and the different types of grievances (student, parent, employee, community) that school officials can expect to confront
• Hearing Guide for Expulsions: Provides sample script guidance for the presiding officer to reference during an expulsion hearing before the board
• Hearing Guide for Grievances: Provides nuts-and-bolts sample script guidance to the presiding officer in a grievance hearing at Level Three
• Hearing Guide for Nonrenewals (Term Contracts): Provides sample script guidance to the presiding officer in a nonrenewal hearing before the board
• Nepotism Issues for School Officials: Explains the nepotism rules affecting superintendents and school board trustees, which relatives are not eligible for hire and of the exceptions to the nepotism prohibition, how the nepotism rules apply differently in large versus small counties, and other types of conflicts of interest
• Nonrenewals: Covers deadlines, grounds, and procedures that districts need to understand to navigate the nonrenewal process
• Open Meetings Act Basics: Includes voting, how to calculate a quorum, overnight recesses, how to handle public comment section of board meetings, who can attend closed meetings, closed meeting records and who has access to them, and board members’ disclosure of confidential school district information

TASB Legal Services’ Legal Outlines are available for purchase in the TASB Store.