Overview
Weston Hurd’s Education Law attorneys are dedicated to providing attentive counsel throughout Ohio. Our depth of knowledge complemented by a full-service firm supports our primary focus: proactive counsel to guide and secure quality education.
Our collaborative team assists Ohio public school boards and districts of all sizes with a focus on the following areas:
- Collective bargaining
- General counsel services
- Labor and employment
- Special education
- Student issues
- Sunshine Laws and public records
- Title IX
Our objective is simple: to make sure our clients have the knowledge they need to effectively manage their workforce and educate their students.
Our education law clients benefit from our proven and unique firmwide deep bench strength to ensure their success. Supportive counsel includes firm attorneys who practice in the areas of litigation, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, and tax and environmental law. In addition, we provide customized, professional development sessions through partnerships with several educational service centers at no charge.
Experience
- Representing school districts concerning the development of legally defensible Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Evaluation Team Reports (ETRs), and all aspects of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) procedural compliance
- Representing school districts in due process cases filed with the Ohio Department of Education; matters involved requests for private placement, allegations of Denial of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and student discipline issues
- Representing school districts in federal court litigation involving alleged violations of constitutional rights and Section 1983 (e.g., bullying, harassment, etc.)
- Representing school districts in class action complaint proceedings before the Ohio Department of Education’s Office for Exceptional Children
- Obtaining a precedent-setting decision from the Ohio State Employment Relations Board in favor of a board of education when a teachers’ union attempted to prevent the school district from implementing a policy to put into operation the Ohio teacher evaluation system
- Defending boards of education using the Ohio Tort Liability Act in multiple causes of action including student-on-student violence and student injuries
- Defending boards of education in student discipline matter for possession of drugs on school property, including defense of plaintiff’s motions for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction
- Defending school district before the U.S. Supreme Court against a parent’s challenge to their child’s special education program
- Defending the school district against coaches’ claim of defamation
- Representing school districts in numerous cases involving the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, including issues of disability discrimination, race discrimination, harassment, and bullying
- Representing school districts regarding regular education and special education student discipline issues
