Cultural Pride Leads to Student Body Success
Establishing a positive culture within your school, one where students feel welcome and successful, has become increasingly important, especially as many of our students have returned from long gaps in face to face education. Building leaders are charged with doing so during what seems like unending culture wars that have done more to divide than ever before. In order to grow this culture in Lincoln Park, the administrative team and key staff…
Black Authors Calendar
When I was growing up, I read extensively. I found that books opened new worlds for me. I was very fortunate to have a mother who regularly took me to the library and encouraged me to “take home as many books as you can carry,” parents who read to me, and strong teachers who inspired me to read and to explore many topics. While I read a lot, I found out, as…
Employee Misconduct
When faced with alleged misconduct, school officials are sometimes eager to impose discipline. However, navigating through employment protections applicable to the employee and adequately investigating the alleged misconduct are important preliminary steps that will help you minimize potential legal exposure. Under Michigan law, employment is presumed to be “at-will,” meaning an employer may discipline an employee without notice and without cause. But, depending on the employee’s unique circumstances, an employment contract, a…
Nov. 22 LegalEase | “This Article Has Been Removed”
Disappointingly, public schools have become a hotbed for political strife while society’s culture wars continue to rage. Caught in the middle of this tug-of-war, administrators are increasingly stretched and pulled to handle every molehill that some insist is a mountain. The controversy du jour? Books and other materials kept in school libraries and media centers. The works most scrutinized are often those that cover LGBTQ+ subject matter. Defenders of these works often…
Search & Seizure
Provided for MASSP's LegalEase by our partners at Miller Johnson Attorneys. Prior to Oxford, we were receiving a number of questions about students bringing weapons to school – something we attributed to a larger pattern of people behaving poorly due to the pandemic. Post-Oxford, the questions became – and continue to be – more proactive (i.e., “How do we find the threat before it becomes dangerous?”). The ongoing spate of questions suggests now is…
Crisis Team: What is the Role of Office Staff?
Schools are generally well-organized systems that function with great efficiency under normal conditions. During a crisis, however, schools face uncertainties. While maintaining day-to-day operations, they must adapt to unexpected and often unpredictable situations. For schools to effectively address the many issues that typically arise during a crisis, a preplanned, systematic organizational model to direct decisions is essential. To be effective, a school's crisis response model must plan for and anticipate a few…
Return to School, Return of Hemp/CBD
As promised in our last LegalEASE, this month’s article will focus on the legal status of hemp/CBD products (oils, gummies, etc.) in school environments. In 2018, as part of a “farm bill,” Congress legalized hemp/CBD. Legally speaking, hemp and marijuana both come from the cannabis plant, but hemp has less than .3% THC. Hemp is not marijuana and is not an illegal Schedule I drug. A CBD product can be derived from…
Crisis Response and Protecting Yourself
In the days following the tragedy in Oxford, many building principals around the state could easily have been thinking “that could be me.” Every day, in school buildings across Michigan, principals are forced to make complex decisions which sometimes require judgment calls. This is part of the job, but no principal should have to be worried about their job or, even worse, their personal assets if they are named in a civil…
Tragedy at Oxford High School
MASSP joins the entire Michigan school community in expressing our deepest sympathy and support for our friends and colleagues at Oxford High School. The loss of life (currently reported to be 4 fatalities and 5 injuries) is nothing short of heartbreaking. We know the days ahead will be incredibly difficult for the Oxford community. Students, families and educators around Michigan will also be feeling sadness, loss and even fear. It is important…
School Threat Update
Although MASSP is a large Association with 1800 members, we are a tight knit community and we want to both share information and support you as you do everything possible to keep your students and staff safe. It is with this in mind that we are providing you with an update, reminders and resources. We are also working on a Leader2Leader webinar for next week to provide a model of what a…