Education

The legal landscape for public and private schools in California is constantly evolving. Your goal is to help your students learn and grow. Let us handle the full range of legal matters necessary to allow you to achieve that noble goal.

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Summary

Growing out of extensive work for traditional public schools and nonprofits, including school districts and universities, we have developed a deep understanding of charter schools, private schools, and other innovations in education. Procopio has been at the forefront of advising charter schools since the inception of the Charter Schools Act and through numerous changes in education law and climate.

If you view charter or private schools as opportunities to improve public education, we are aligned with you. We want to help you make a positive difference. Our attorneys have a genuine passion for education. We actively participate in charter school legal advocacy organizations, both at the state and national levels, and we stay ahead of the curve by constantly monitoring the numerous policy areas that impact charter school legislation. We keep our clients on top of emerging trends and work to positively influence policy and regulatory matters, in addition to supporting schools across every aspect of their day-to-day operations.

Learn more about our services below as well as valuable resources, including our annual publications:

The Ralph M. Brown Act and Related Statutes, March 2023 edition.
California Charter School Laws and Regulations: A Compilation of Selected Provisions, March 2023 edition.

Governance
Student Issues
Petitions, Renewals and Appeals
Facilities Development and Public Financing
Labor and Employment
Entity Formation and Tax Exemption
Litigation
Legislative Advocacy
Funding and Regulatory Issues
Special Education

“The Ralph M. Brown Act and Related Statutes,” March 2023 edition.
“California Charter School Laws and Regulations: A Compilation of Selected Provisions,” March 2023 edition.
“The Ralph M. Brown Act and Related Statutes,” November 2022 edition.
“California Charter School Laws and Regulations: A Compilation of Selected Provisions,” November 2022 edition.
“Sharing Resources Across Charter Schools: Best Practices,” by Greta Proctor, Wendy Tucker & John Lemmo, 2022 CCSA Conference, March 17, 2022.
“Employee Accommodations and Leaves in the New Pandemic World,” by Wendy Tucker & Stephenie Alexander, 2022 CCSA Conference, March 17, 2022.
“Case Studies in Charter Teaching Credentialing,” by Greta Proctor & Rahul Reddy, 2022 CCSA Conference, March 17, 2022.
“Charter Petitions 2022: Content, Strategies and Material Revisions,” by John Lemmo, Mackenzie Ayers (KIPP), Maggie Ford (Equitas) & Tiffany Wilson (Alliance), 2022 CCSA Conference, March 17, 2022.
“Essential Charter School Policies – Updated for 2022,” by Greta Proctor & Merrick Wadsworth,” 2022 CCSA Conference, March 16, 2022.
“Student Discipline and Expulsions: Navigating a Complicated Landscape,” by Kevin Davis and Rahul Reddy, 2022 CCSA Conference, March 16, 2022.
“Material Revisions, MOUs, and Authorizer Policies: Challenges for Growth,” by Greta Proctor & Merrick Wadsworth, March 16, 2022.
“Best Board Meeting Ever: 2022 Edition,” Greta Proctor, Greg Moser & Merrick Wadsworth with Julie Umansky & Andrew Crowe, 2022 CCSA Conference, March 15, 2022.
“Demystifying the School Facility Location and Approval Process,” by John Lemmo, 2022 CCSA Conference, March 15, 2022.
“Protecting Student Privacy in the Virtual Classroom,” by John Lemmo & Rahul Reddy, 2022 CCSA Conference, March 14, 2021.
“The Ralph M. Brown Act and Related Statutes,” December 1, 2021.
“California Charter Schools Laws and Regulations,” March 2022.
“Conversations with Counsel: Compensation and Employee Perks: Keep Your School in Compliance and Your Employees Happy and Motivated,” by Greta Proctor, Wendy Tucker and Stephenie Alexander, February 15, 2022.
“Conversations with Counsel: Leaves and Accommodations in the Era of COVID-19,” by Wendy Tucker and Stephenie Alexander, February 8, 2022.
“Conversations With Counsel: Keep Your Employers at Work: Latest Updates,” by Greta Proctor, Wendy Tucker and Stephenie Alexander, February 1, 2022.
“School Facilities: A How-To Guide,” by John Lemmo, CDSC 2021 Conference, December 6, 2021
“Charter Teacher Credentials 101,” by Greta Proctor & Rahul Reddy, CDSC 2021 Conference, December 6, 2021.
“Employee Medical Leaves and Accommodations in the Era of COVID-19,” by Wendy Tucker, CDSC 2021 Conference, December 6, 2021.
“Employee Compensation: Retain Quality Employees and Avoid Liability,” by Wendy Tucker, CDSC 2021 Conference, December 6, 2021.
“The New Focus: Children’s Privacy,” by Rahul Reddy, Procopio Privacy Symposium, December 2, 2021.
“Supporting Anti-Racist Work Environments at Charter Schools and Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession,” by Adriana Ochoa, CCSA “Lunching with Lawyers” Virtual Seminar, November 17, 2021.
“Prop 39 Workshop,” by John Lemmo & Kevin Davis, October 20, 2021.
“CCSA’s Fall Governance Academy,” by John Lemmo, November 2 & 4, 2021.
“Charter Schools: Proposed Legislation and Political Campaigns,” by Kevin Davis, May 18, 2021.
“CCSA’s Spring Governance Academy,” by John Lemmo, May 4 & 6, 2021.
“Charter Schools Credentials 101,” by Rahul Reddy, April 29, 2021.
“Where’s the Privilege? Bright Lines and Gray Areas for Attorneys Advising Charter Schools,” by John Lemmo, CCSA “Lunching with Lawyers” Virtual Seminar, April 21, 2021.
“New COVID-19 Leave Laws – What’s A Charter School To Do?” by Wendy Tucker, April 13, 2021.
“Demystifying the School Facility Location and Approval Process,” by John Lemmo of Procopio, Richard Berliner of Berliner Architects, and Nicolas Watson of CCSA, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 19, 2021.
“Creating Anti-Racist Workplaces While Avoiding Employment Liability,” by Adriana Ochoa & Tracie Stender of Procopio, and Laura McGowan-Robinson of Diversity in Leadership Institute, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 19, 2021.
“Essential Charter School Policies,” by Greta Proctor & Merrick Wadsworth, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 18, 2021.
“Best Board Meeting Ever: 2021 Virtual Edition,” by Greta Proctor, Greg Moser, Merrick Wadsworth, Kevin Davis & Stephenie Alexander of Procopio, Julie Umansky of CCSA, and Andrew Crowe of Scholarship Prep, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 18, 2021.
“Conflicts of Interest: Beyond the Basics,” by Adriana Ochoa, Tracie Stender & Merrick Wadsworth, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 18, 2021.
“Be Ready For Financial Reviews, Audits, and Investigations: 2021 Edition,” by Greta Proctor of Procopio, Kurt Feddersen of Feddersen & Company, and Tom Nichols of CSMC, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 17, 2021.
“A Conversation About LAUSD Chartering: Substance and Process,” by John Lemmo & Greta Proctor of Procopio, Cassy Horton of CCSA, and Tammy Stanton of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 16, 2021.
“Charter Petitions: Content and Process after AB 1505 and 1507,” by John Lemmo of Procopio, Maggie Ford of Equitas Academy Charter Schools, Mackenzie Wagner of KIPP Public Schools Northern California, and Tiffany Wilson of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 16, 2021.
“Top 10 Best Practices in Wage and Hour to Limit Your School’s Liability,” by Wendy Tucker & Stephenie Alexander, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 16, 2021.
“Protecting Student Privacy in the Virtual Classroom,” by John Lemmo & Rahul Reddy, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 15, 2021.
“Rising to the Challenge: Serving Pupils with Disabilities During a Disaster,” by Greta Proctor & Maryam Rastegar of Procopio, and Gina Plate of CCSA, CCSA 2021 Virtual Conference, March 15, 2021.
“COVID-19 Vaccine Programs for the Charter School Workplace,” by Tracie Stender & Stephenie Alexander, February 18, 2021.
“Form 700 Workshop and Q&A,” by Merrick Wadsworth, February 2, 2021.