UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- School administrators and education professionals from across Pennsylvania convened at the Lewis Katz Building on Sept. 21 for Education Law Day to learn more about some of the most pressing legal issues affecting primary and secondary schools, educators, and students.
The event was co-hosted by Penn State Law, the Penn State College of Education, and the Pennsylvania School Studies Council (PSSC), which is a Penn State body that provides research, professional development, and technical assistance to member public, private, and charter schools across the commonwealth.
“The world of educational law is changing essentially day to day,” said PSCC executive director Lawrence Wess. “We see it as our developmental responsibility to bring together experts to speak to the issues we’re seeing across Pennsylvania and how our school leaders can be prepared moving forward.”
The event featured guest speakers including Centre County Assistant District Attorney Crystal Hunt discussing the success of the Children’s Advocacy Center that opened in 2013 with help from Penn State, Beard Legal Managing Partner Carl Beard discussing pressing issues in special education, and Erika Dominick of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office discussing effective advocacy for children in the justice system.
Other topics included transgender students and Title IX enforcement in schools, how administrators can best deal with dangerous students, and the legal complexities of interscholastic athletics. The event concluded with a career panel for Penn State Law students featuring the presenters who spoke throughout the day.
Rafael Alvarado, a Penn State Law student and president of the Law and Education Alliance at Penn State (LEAP), worked with the three co-sponsors to bring the event to Penn State Law and increase student attendance. Alvarado—a J.D./Ph.D. student who also studies in the College of Education—said events like Education Law Day also benefit Penn State Law students by exposing them to new applications of the law and new potential career paths.
“The legal skills and knowledge we’re gaining at Penn State law translate into many different careers, including education and administration,” Alvarado said. “Education, especially, is a whole field of opportunities that law students might not know about, but that thanks to events like this, they’re able to come and explore new ways to use their degrees.”