THURSDAY WORKSHOPS – 3:45 SCHOOL SAFETY AND ANTI-BULLYING UPDATE – A PANEL DISCUSSION Room 101A & B Shamus O’Meara, Attorney; Morgan A. Godfrey, Attorney; Mark R. Azman, Attorney, Johnson & Condon, P.A.; and William Modzeleski, Associate Director, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools Join school safety experts in a discussion about recent school safety and anti-bullying efforts. Learn about the latest national and local initiatives in these areas and available resources, survey actual school situations, and discuss practical steps school leaders can take to address these issues and implement school safety and anti-bullying plans. OVERVIEW OF RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS – WHAT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS NEED TO KNOW Room 101C Peter A. Martin, Attorney, Knutson, Flynn & Deans, P.A. Following a growing national trend, Minnesota enacted a law in 2009 establishing new standards for the restraint and seclusion of special education students. The new law took effect on August 1, 2011, and significantly altered previous state administrative rules regulating manual restraint, mechanical restraint and “time-out” rooms. Consequently, it is important for school board members to recognize the requirements (and potential pitfalls) of the legislation so that school personnel will be prepared to implement the new procedures. This outline will examine the changes to Minnesota law and offer practical strategies for compliance with the new restraint and seclusion standards. THE NEW PRINCIPAL EVALUATION SYSTEM Room 101D & E Brian Dietz, Superintendent, Waseca School District; Jeff Olson, Superintendent, St. Peter School District; and Greg Keith, Coordinator, Educator Evaluation, Minnesota Department of Education This past year, state legislators passed new legislation that mandates all principals be evaluated on an annual basis, with 35 percent of their evaluation reflecting test scores. For the upcoming year, 16 school districts across the state of Minnesota have been asked to pilot a model developed to meet the criteria of the new law and to determine best practices as to how you can deliver a meaningful model for professional growth. Attend this session to learn more about the evaluation and how they are implementing the pilot this year, and gain some practical examples and insights of how to institute this when it is mandated in the 2013–2014 school year. PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA) AND MINNESOTA EXCHANGE UPDATE Room 101F Robert C. Cavanna, Executive Director; and Dan Weir, Consultant, Minnesota Service Cooperatives Listen to a brief review of historical health care utilization and health insurance premiums in Minnesota. The presentation will also review the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) health reform requirements effective January 1, 2014. There will also be an overview of PPACA rules for Minimum Essential Coverage and Affordability and respective penalty tax on large employers. 22
MSBA JOURNAL/LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE PROGRAM
IMPLICATIONS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AFTER THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION Room 101G Margaret Skelton, Attorney, Ratwik Roszak & Maloney, P.A. The Minnesota Supreme Court recently handed down a seminal decision for independent school districts: Emerson v. Independent School District No. 199. In this unusual case, both Education Minnesota and the Minnesota School Boards Association filed briefs in support of the school district. In this decision, the Supreme Court attempted to clarify ambiguous statutory language in the continuing contract statute. While attempting to clarify the continuing contract statute, the Court’s decision has actually raised additional questions from school districts across the state. This presentation will discuss this case and provide practical guidance to school districts in determining which individuals are subject to the protections of the continuing contract law. WORKPLACE BULLYING Room 101H Kevin Rupp, Attorney, Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A. If students are expected not to be bullies, why wouldn’t we expect the same from the employees? The movement to stop student bullying is already well-entrenched. The next movement in this area will be to regulate bullying in the employment context. There are, however, greater complications when a vague obligation to not “bully” others is placed on employees, especially within the highly unionized atmosphere that exists in Minnesota public school districts. This presentation reviews the current status of efforts to require anti-bullying type standards in the workplace, as well as the laws and tools already available to deal with uncivil employee conduct. SMARTBOARD, IPADS, AND STUDENT RESPONSE SYSTEMS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOMS Room 101I Julie Thom, Early Childhood Program Coordinator; Dawn Johnson, Early Childhood Special Education; and Vern Koepp, Superintendent, Rush City School District This workshop will discuss the positive impact that multiple forms of technology have had on the Early Childhood program in Rush City, and how technology has been integrated on a daily basis. We will review student performance data and discuss how technology has impacted tier 1, 2 and 3 instruction, and supported MN Reading Corps and Early Childhood Special Education. Data showing early literacy scores for Rush City students will also be included.