Training Sessions:
Employing Faculty In Today's Environment: Tips, Traps And Best Practices
You found the perfect teacher to fill the vacancy at your school – now what??! Conveying the offer is a critically important step for an independent school. From a business perspective, a school’s goal is to ensure adequate faculty coverage throughout the academic year. From a legal perspective, a school’s goal is to avoid guaranteeing employment to a teacher who may prove to be ineffective. A well-drafted offer letter can assist a school in achieving both of these goals. But what should a school say (and not say) in the offer letter?
The goal of this training is to educate independent schools on the value of well-drafted faculty offer letters. The training focuses on important elements to include in each offer letter, as well as pitfalls of poorly drafted offer letters and includes:
- Differentiating between employment agreements and offer letters;
- Essential provisions in faculty offer letters, including terms of employment, compensation and benefits, and duties and responsibilities;
- Termination provisions of faculty offer letters, including the at-will nature of employment and the final payment of wages;
- Employment authorization and mandatory background checks;
- How to incorporate a contingency provision into the offer letter;
- Drafting offer letters for staff members; and
- Traps to avoid in drafting offer letters.
In addition to offering this training at the Firm’s offices, we are available to present this training on campus. Because of the value teachers bring to independent schools, this training can be especially effective in creating a productive and informed faculty.
Harassment, Bullying And Lessons Learned
Bullying is not a new phenomenon at independent schools. However, the methods bullies use to harass their victims are evolving at a rate faster than the laws designed to prevent bullying. Thus, independent schools must not only protect their students from the new and various methods of bullying, but must also comply with numerous anti-bullying and anti-hazing laws, the requirements of which vary significantly from state to state. Fortunately, however, there are a number of steps an independent school can take to minimize the risk of bullying becoming a serious problem among its students. What should a school’s anti-bullying policy contain? How should complaints or suspicions of bullying be handled? How can a school prevent bullying in the first place?
The goal of this training is to educate independent schools on the importance of taking bullying seriously. The training focuses on important elements to include in an anti-bullying/anti-harassment policy and includes:
- Defining traditional and new types of bullying, including cyberbullying;
- Examining common elements of anti-bullying and anti-hazing laws around the country;
- Effective bullying, harassment and hazing policies;
- Internal complaint processes for addressing bullying;
- Preventing bullying through enrollment agreements;
- Preventing bullying through student and employee training; and
- Disciplining bullies.
In addition to offering this training at the Firm’s offices, we are available to present this training on campus. Because of the increased focus on school bullying over the past few years, this training can be especially effective in implementing preventative anti-bullying measures at independent schools.
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