School Law Conference 2018
Be inspired by this knowledgeable panel of experts as we delve into the employment and school governance issues affecting your school right now, taking a thorough and practical look at such timely topics such as bullying and an interactive workshop on workplace investigation. Grapple with the very tricky area of social media and the digital age with timely advice and legal knowledge from the leading practitioners in the area. This detailed and comprehensive seminar is not to be missed.
Description
Attend and earn 7 CPD points in Substantive Law
This conference was recorded in VIC on 28 November 2018
Session 1
Workplace and Governance
Chair: Dr Vernita Zigouras, Immediate Past President and Chair (Victorian Chapter), ANZELA
9.00am to 10.00am: Training Your Staff and Staff Obligations and Behaviour on Events, Excursions, Camps and Tours
- What should your school’s policy for each cover? Is it realistic and attainable as well as legally compliant?
- Risk assessments for camps and excursions
- Interstate and overseas tours: what to consider including billeting
- Inter and intra school sport event management
Presented by Jodi Fitzgerald Tate, Head of Co-Curriculum, Overnewton Anglican Community College and facilitated by Ben Tallboys, Principal, Russell Kennedy Lawyers
10.00am to 11.00am: A Practical Guide to Preventing and Managing Workplace Bullying in Schools
- What workplace bullying can look like in a school environment
- The difference between unpopular management decisions and bullying
- Proactive measures that can be taken to prevent workplace bullying
- Key considerations when a school is managing a bullying complaint
Presented by Ben Tallboys, Principal, Russell Kennedy Lawyers,Legal Consultant to Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA)
11.00am to 11.15am Morning Tea
11.15am to 12.15pm: Organisational Conflict – Decisions on Standards, Governance and the Impact on the School
- Case Study: Unpacking a schoolyard haircut and examining the resulting dismissal of the school’s deputy headmaster
- Appointments of senior staff and corporate governance
Presented by Chris Molnar, Partner, Kennedys, Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations
12.15pm to 1.15pm: Conducting a Valid Workplace Investigation: A Practical Workshop
This practical workshop will provide insight into the management of staff-related workplace investigations. In this interactive session, you’ll discuss:
- Best practice workplace investigations
- Common challenges: employees on sick leave, the role of unions, admissibility of evidence, police involvement and more
- Practical tips: lessons from the trenches, case law examples and workplace policies in practice
Presented by Elizabeth Aitken, Partner, Moray and Agnew Lawyers
Session 2
Navigating Modern Issues in the School Context
Chair: Jim Laussen, Principal, Overnewton Anglican Community College
DIGITAL RISKS FOR SCHOOLS
2.00pm to 2.45pm: Privacy and Data Breach
- Privacy and duty of care – balancing competing obligations
- Unique schools issues: minors and consent, photos, newsletters/prayer cards and school counsellors.
- Privacy and data breaches in schools
- Legal obligations, including mandatory reporting of breaches and penalties
- Real case law examples.
- Ensuring you have a compliant privacy policy and data breach response plan.
- Simulated data breach exercises
Presented by Cecelia Irvine-So, Principal, Moores
2.45pm to 3.30pm: Digital Deviants: Students and Online Offences
- Sexting, cyber bullying and other online offences
- Who has responsibility, the school or parents?
- How to handle these situations: navigating the process
- Legal risks, policies and training
Presented by Dimi Ioannou, Principal, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers
3.30pm to 3.45pm Afternoon Tea
LEGAL RISKS ROUNDUP
3.45pm to 4.30pm: Supporting Children with Disabilities: Obligations and Best Practice
- Teacher and school obligations toward students with disabilities
- Case studies of the implementation of services and responses for students with disabilities
- Developing and implementing systems at the school level to meet best practice standards
Presented by Paul Ronfeldt, Partner, Thomson Geer
4.30pm to 5.15pm: Protecting the School's Reputation: The Tools You Will Need
- Social media policies
- Defamation: protecting the principal and other staff
- Parental Codes of Conduct - managing difficult and aggressive parents
- Enrolment contracts
- Disciplinary policies
Presented by Steven Troeth, Partner, Gadens; Best Lawyers 2019, Employee Benefits Law
Closing Comments from the Chair